Tag: ARMS

European arms imports nearly double over Ukraine: study

By Johannes LEDEL STOCKHOLM, March 11, 2024 (AFP) – Weapons imports to Europe nearly doubled over the past five years, partly due to the war in Ukraine, while exports from Russia halved, researchers said on Monday. Ukraine has become the world’s fourth largest arms importer, while France has replaced Russia as the world’s second largest exporter behind the United States. Arms imports to Europe rose by 94 percent in 2019-2023, compared to the preceding five-year […]

Japan to send Patriot missiles to US as stocks dwindle

  TOKYO, Dec 23, 2023 (AFP) – Japan loosened arms export controls Friday to enable it to sell domestically made Patriot missiles to the United States, which is seeking to stock up after sending the weapon systems to Ukraine. Washington has supplied Kyiv with the highly-effective Patriot air defence systems as part of the massive Western military aid effort to help President Volodymyr Zelensky’s country fight back against Russia’s invasion.   “We welcome the Government […]

North Korea sends military equipment to Russia for potential use in Ukraine – White House

North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks for use in Ukraine, the White House said Friday. The statement comes a month after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia’s far east and met President Vladimir Putin, sparking concern among Kyiv’s allies over the possibility of a potential arms deal. “We condemn the DPRK for providing Russia with this military equipment, which will […]

Kim visits fighter jets factory on Russia tour

MOSCOW, Sept 15, 2023 (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a Russian military aviation factory on Friday following his summit with President Vladimir Putin, as the two countries ostracised by the West seek deeper ties. Historic allies, Russia and North Korea are both under rafts of global sanctions — Moscow for its Ukraine conflict, Pyongyang for its nuclear tests — with Kim’s rare foreign visit sparking concern from Kyiv’s allies over a […]

N.Korea’s Kim set for arms talks with Putin in Russia: US

WASHINGTON, Sept 4, 2023 (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expects to make a rare trip abroad to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Russia to discuss providing arms to Moscow for its war in Ukraine, the United States said Monday. Ukraine is pushing a highly-scrutinised counteroffensive in both the south and east that Putin on Monday dismissed as a failure, though Moscow appears eager to urgently secure more military supplies to bolster […]

US, South Africa in spat over arms-to-Russia charge

JOHANNESBURG, May 11, 2023 (AFP) – The US envoy to South Africa on Thursday accused the country of having covertly provided arms to Russia, a charge that drew an angry rebuke from Pretoria. Ambassador Reuben Brigety told a media briefing the US believed weapons and ammunition had been laden onto a Russian freighter that docked at a Cape Town naval base in December. “We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel and I […]

Seoul says military aid for Ukraine ‘depends on Russia’

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s decision on whether to send military aid to Kyiv depends on Russia’s actions, Seoul’s presidential office said Thursday, adding that a possible large-scale civilian attack could tip the balance. Seoul has a long-standing policy against providing weapons to countries in active conflict, which it has repeatedly said makes it difficult to supply arms directly to Ukraine. South Korea has supported the US-led sanctions on Moscow and has sent […]

World’s usable nuke arsenal rose in 2022: study

  Oslo, Norway | AFP | Wednesday 3/29/2023 The global number of operational atomic warheads increased in 2022, driven largely by Russia and China, a new report out Wednesday said as nuclear tensions have risen since the war in Ukraine. The nine official and unofficial nuclear powers held 9,576 ready-to-use warheads in 2023 — up from 9,440 the previous year, according to the Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor published by the NGO Norwegian People’s Aid. Those […]

‘Guns and Roses’: Bulgaria arms trade booms on Ukraine war

by Vessela SERGUEVA Agence France-Presse KAZANLAK, Bulgaria (AFP) — With its huge munitions factories and endless rose fields, Kazanlak in central Bulgaria has been really living up to its “Guns and Roses” nickname since Moscow invaded Ukraine. Bulgaria’s booming arms industry has never had it so good, with exports estimated at $4.3 billion last year (about four billion euros) — three times its previous record. The country’s oldest arms maker Arsenal, which already employs 7,000 […]

US selling Taiwan $619 mn worth of F-16 munitions

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US has approved the sale to Taiwan of $619 million in munitions for F-16 fighter jets, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, in a move likely to anger Beijing. The package includes 100 AGM-88B High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM), 200 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles(AMRAAM), and launchers and dummy missiles for training, the Pentagon said in a statement. The sale will boost Taiwan’s “capability to provide for the defense of its […]

Why China’s military support for Russia would be a ‘game changer’

BEIJING, China (AFP) — The United States has said China is “considering providing lethal support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Beijing quickly rebuffed the claim this week but experts say it may have some merit and, if China did give support, could be a “game changer” in the year-old conflict. Here are some key questions about Washington’s claim, and its implications: What is behind the US claim? Since Russian tanks rolled over the border into […]

US announces $2.5 bn in new weaponry, munitions for Ukraine

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States announced a massive new package of arms and munitions for Ukraine on Thursday as the country prepares for a new stage of war against Russia. The package does not feature battle tanks requested by Kyiv, but includes 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers, an additional 59 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Avenger air defense systems, and large and small munitions, according to a Pentagon statement. “The 59 Bradley IFVs […]