Watchdog: European arms imports rise despite global fall

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish watchdog says European countries bought 19% more major arms in the five years to 2021 than they did in the five years before that, even though the global figure was down 4.6%. The figures reflect the building tensions with Russia, a Swedish watchdog said in a report released Monday. The largest European arms importers were Britain, Norway and the Netherlands, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, said. Other nations in Europe are also expected to increase their arms imports significantly over the coming decade, having recently placed large orders for major arms, in particular combat aircraft from the United States.