In News:

• U.S. officials hosted emergency talks with allies in Germany on supplying Kyiv with more weapons to fend off Russia's assault.
  
  

What’s in Today’s Article:

• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) – About, key finding of SIPRI Report 2022
  
  
• News Summary
  
  

In Focus: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Report

About

• SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
  
  
• Established in 1966, SIPRI is based in Stockholm, Sweden. It is regularly ranked among the most respected think tanks worldwide.
  
  
• Its mission is to:
  
  
  

Key finding of SIPRI report published in 2022

• Global military expenditure
  • The global military expenditure has reached an all-time high of $2.1 trillion.
    • This was the seventh consecutive year that spending increased.
      
      
    
    
    
  • United States, China, India, the United Kingdom and Russia were the top five defence spenders, together accounting for 62% of the global expenditure.
    
    
  
  
  
• Military expenditure of US
  • US military spending amounted to $801 billion in 2021, a drop of 1.4% from 2020.
    
    
  • US military burden decreased slightly from 3.7% of GDP in 2020 to 5% in 2021.
    
    
  • United States focuses more on military research and development.
    • US funding for military R&D rose by 24% between 2012 and 2021.
      
      
    
    
    
  
  
  
• Defence spending of Russia & Ukraine
  
  
• Defence spending accounted for 1% of Russia’s GDP.
  
  
• It is much higher than world's average, and made Moscow the fifth largest spender in the world.
  
  
• On the other side, Ukraine’s military spending has risen by 72% since the annexation of Crimea. While spending declined by more than 8% in 2021 to $5.9bn, it still accounted for 2% of Ukraine’s GDP.
  
  
• European countries step up spending
  • As tensions have increased in Europe, more NATO countries have stepped up spending.
    
    
  • Total military spending in Europe amounted to $418 billion and has been rising sharply since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
    
    
  • Military budgets rose 3.0% from 2020 and stood 19% higher than in 2012.
    
    
  
  
  
• India’s military spending
  • India’s military spending of $76.6 billion ranked third highest in the world.
    
    
  • This was up by 0.9% from 2020 and by 33% from 2012.
    
    
  • In a push to strengthen the indigenous arms industry, 64% of capital outlays in the military budget of 2021 were earmarked for acquisitions of domestically produced arms.
    
    
  
  
  

News Summary

• In a weapons summit, the US has pressed allies to further ramp up military support for Ukraine.
  • The meeting of 40 countries took place at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany after Russia warned of the real danger of World War III.
    
    
  
  
  

Key Highlights

• Commitment made by US – US officials promised $700 million in new aid to Ukraine.
  
  
• Commitment made by Germany - Germany said it would begin supplying anti-aircraft tanks.
  • This is a clear shift after refusing for weeks to provide more advanced equipment. It is also a sign that Berlin was abandoning its cautious approach towards Moscow.
    
    
  
  
  

Support Provided to Ukraine by the Western Powers

• Moscow's invasion of its neighbour, now in its eighth week, has triggered widespread outrage among Western nations.
  
  
• These nations have provided weapons and other assistance to Ukraine's embattled President Volodymyr Zelensky.
  • Attack drones, anti-aircraft missiles and sophisticated intelligence from Western agencies could prove vital for slowing the advance of Russia's military might.
    
    
  
  
  
• However, the Western powers have been reluctant to deepen their direct involvement.
  • They are wary of drawing Moscow's ire and sparking military confrontations beyond Ukraine's borders.