Putin states Russia takes place among top five international weapons exporters

(MENAFN) Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Russia’s strong standing among the world’s leading arms exporters, emphasizing that the country remains within the top five global suppliers due to the high quality of its weaponry.

During a meeting on military and technical cooperation on Friday, Putin noted that Russia holds a substantial order portfolio worth tens of billions of dollars and called for efforts to further expand arms exports.

He stressed the importance of deepening partnerships with foreign clients by not only selling weapons and equipment but also offering a broader array of services. These services include technological collaboration, joint development of advanced systems, repair and modernization support, spare parts supply, and training for international specialists.

In November, Aleksandr Mikheev, CEO of the state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport, reported that Russia’s export order portfolio remained at a record $55 billion for 2024, with contracts covering more than 30 types of modern military products.

Earlier this year, Sergey Chemezov, head of defense conglomerate Rostec, said Rosoboronexport had secured over 20 contracts totaling around $7 billion since January.

According to the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT), Russia ranked second in global arms sales in 2024, capturing 12.32% of the market. The US led with 37.92%, followed by France (6.90%), South Korea, and Italy (each with 5.10%).

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