The decline is attributed to Russia prioritizing weapons production for its own military, the impact of Western sanctions, and increased pressure from the U.S. and its allies on countries purchasing Russian arms, the report said.
The State Department described arms sales and transfers as "important U.S. foreign policy tools with potential long-term implications for regional and global security."
Russia uses Western sniper rifles and ammunition despite sanctions, obtaining the arms via third-party countries, according to a joint media investigation published by The Insider on Dec. 11.
A Chinese man illegally residing in the U.S. was arrested for illegally shipping weapons to North Korea from the U.S., the Justice Department said in a statement on Dec. 3.
Because North Korea and Russia do not publish official statistics on the country's bilateral trade, there is uncertainty. But even the minimum estimate of shipments is over $1.7 billion, the study reads.
The U.K. and Ukraine signed an agreement that provides credit support for the development of Ukraine's defense industry, Ukraine's Presidential Office announced on July 19.
Three Russian students studying in Finland were detained for allegedly exporting unspecified dual-use goods - items that are suitable for military capabilities, Finnish outlet Yle reported on May 3.
The U.K.'s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank said the cargo ship the Angara, currently docked at a shipyard in China's eastern Zhejiang province, has been involved in carrying North Korean military cargo to Russia overseas.
From January 1 to March 27, the German government approved the export of military goods worth at least 4.89 billion euros (around $5.3 billion), with almost three-quarters of this amount intended for Ukraine, the German news agency DPA reported on April 10.
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