The U.S. and Russia are the world's top arms dealers. See who's getting the weapons

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is likely to reverberate through the defense sector for years to come. The move reignited simmering Cold War-era tensions and provided a horrific reminder of the importance of a strong, modernized military.

The invasion has sparked a massive surge in military aid.

In March, Congress approved $3.5 billion in funding for military supplies given to Ukraine for its defense, and the European Union has pledged more than $1 billion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, continues to press NATO to provide more weaponry for his army, which has proven to be surprisingly resilient against the heavily armed Russian forces.

"All indications are that there will be higher demand for arms in Europe," says the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks the global flow of major conventional weapons. "We're seeing it already.”

U.S. and Russia have led the world in arms transfers (including sales and gifts) over the past two decades. The charts below show the cumulative volume of those weapons and the recipients of the arms since 2000.

Over the entire 2000–2021 period, Ukraine received a total of just 182 TIV in major weapons imports, with the U.S. providing 55 of that sum.

SIPRI's most recent analysis compared the past five years (2017 through 2021) of arms transfers globally vs. the previous five-year period. The U.S. grew its market share and was easily No. 1, with 39% of all exports over the past five years versus 19% for Russia, which retained its place as the No. 2 arms provider to other countries despite a dip in exports.

Two of Russia's biggest markets for arms in past years, Vietnam and India, have recently begun to diversify the sources of their weapons imports. Big beneficiaries of that change: the U.S. and France.