Russia Wants to Regain Its Number Two Spot in International Arms Sales

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Russia is marketing its weapons to new customers in the Global South in an effort to surpass France as the world’s second-largest arms exporter.

Even as the United States may have a less-than-perfect partnership with its long-standing allies under the second Trump administration, the American defense industry isn’t likely to fall from its top spot in the global arms trade. The real battle continues to be for second place.

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a Swedish think tank focused on arms control, Russian arms exports fell by 64 percent between 2020 and 2024 from the previous five-year period. That resulted in Russia falling from the number two spot to number three—overtaken by France, whose arms sales have notably increased over the same period, particularly of aircraft and naval systems.

As reported last fall, Russia saw a decline from 21 percent of the total global arms market from 2015 to just 7.8 percent in 2024. That sharp decrease was primarily due to Russia’s massive losses in its ongoing “special military operation” in Ukraine, which required the Kremlin to curtail arms exports and retool production to supply domestic military needs. Clients such as India have had to wait to receive contracted items—notably the delivery of S-400 Triumf air defense system........

© The National Interest