PARIS — European NATO nations are reorienting their defense purchases, shifting away from heavy U.S. arms imports toward suppliers like South Korea, France, and Israel, according to SIPRI data.
The United States still leads as the top exporter, but its share among European buyers has fallen from 64% to 58% over the 2021-2025 period, even as overall imports have surged.
European leaders stepped up defense spending after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and now they seek greater self sufficiency in defense to counter the evolving threats.
SIPRI said in its report, “Threat perceptions concerning Russia, compounded by uncertainties over the USA’s commitment to defending its European allies, have boosted demand for arms among European member states.”
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That assessment frames a strategic pivot where Europe accelerates purchases from partners like France and Israel while preserving critical U.S. platforms. The data also show how European planners are balancing a broader portfolio of suppliers with the backbone of American capability.
Katarina Djokic, a researcher with SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Programme, notes that European defense firms boosted production while intra-EU orders rose, yet imports from the United States remained significant for certain systems.
The figures reflect a hybrid approach: strengthen own industries and sustain access to high end technology that only the United States fully provides.
“Deliveries to Ukraine since 2022 are the most obvious factor, but most other European states have also started importing significantly more arms to shore up their military capabilities against a perceived growing threat from Russia,” said Mathew George, director of SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Programme.
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That observation helps explain why, even with a stronger European industrial base, imports from Washington remain essential for key platforms.
The data show European reliance on U.S. aircraft and air defense for crucial capabilities continues even as producers ramp up.
Twelve European countries had a total of 466 F-35 fighter jets on order or preselected for order by the end of 2025, including 39 of the Lockheed Martin jets ordered or preselected for order last year. Still, Europe is diversifying, and South Korea was the next biggest supplier, securing 8.6% of their arms imports in the most recent five-year period, from 6.5% previously.
Israel accounted for 7.7% of European NATO imports, up from 3.9% in the prior period. France increased its share to 7.4% from 6.5%.
Global weapon exports rose at the fastest pace in a decade as Europe more than tripled weapons imports in the face of a threatening Russia. The volume of major arms transferred between states rose 9.2% in 2021-2025 from the prior five-year period, the biggest increase since the 2011-2015 bracket, according to SIPRI. Deliveries to Ukraine have been a critical driver, but SIPRI notes that most other European states have also ramped up arms imports.
“For importers, U.S. arms offer advanced capabilities and a way of fostering good relations with the USA, while the USA views arms exports as a tool of foreign policy and a way of strengthening its arms industry,” said Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme. That dynamic helps explain why U.S. exports remain robust even as Europe pursues home grown expansion and diversified sourcing.
Ukraine was the largest weapons importer in the 2021-2025 period, accounting for 9.7% of global arms imports, with the U.S. the source for 44% of Ukraine’s imports, followed by Germany at 14%.
Arms transfers to Ukraine were “substantially lower” in 2025 than in the preceding two years as the United States reduced its military aid to the country, according to SIPRI. The data highlight how the conflict has shaped European procurement decisions and reinforced debates over alliance commitments.
India was the world’s second-biggest importer of arms, even if its share of global imports fell 4% in the period, based on SIPRI data. In Asia, fears over China’s growing military capabilities continue to influence armament efforts in other parts of the region, where many states still rely on imported arms, Siemon Wezeman, a SIPRI senior researcher, explained.
“In South Asia, the high volume of arms that India imports is largely due to the perceived threat from China and to India’s long-running conflict with the main recipient of Chinese arms exports, Pakistan,” Wezeman said. “Imported weapons were used in the 2025 clash between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed states.”
In Africa, Algeria cut imports by 78% in 2021-2025, while Morocco increased 12%, making the latter Africa’s largest arms importer.
These shifts illustrate a broad reconfiguration of regional defense postures across the globe, with consequences for how the United States engages as a defense partner and how Europe positions itself between deterrence and independence.
For President Trump and defense advocate Pete Hegseth, the SIPRI picture reinforces a straightforward argument: maintain a strong American security guarantee while pressuring Europe to bolster its own capabilities and invest more in domestic defense.
They contend that a robust U.S. commitment remains indispensable, but Europe must shoulder a larger share of its defense burden to deter aggression and keep the Western alliance resilient.
The shift in supplier mix does not erase the need for Washington’s leadership, they would argue; it strengthens a more balanced, durable transatlantic security framework.
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