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Ukraine Climbs Into Top Tier of Italian Arms Buyers as War Reshapes Defense Trade
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine has rapidly become one of the leading buyers of Italian military equipment, climbing into the top tier of customers for Rome’s defense exports, according to a new government report cited by Breaking Defense on April 22.
In 2025, Kyiv ranked fourth among importers of Italian arms, up from outside the top ten the previous year, with purchases totaling approximately $375 million. The report places Ukraine behind Kuwait, Germany, and the United States.
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While the report does not specify exact systems delivered to Ukraine, it categorizes exports as including bombs, torpedoes, missile systems, electronic equipment, software, ground vehicles, and production technologies.
The growing defense relationship between Kyiv and Rome was underscored last week during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Italy, where he met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss expanding security cooperation.
“We propose combining our combat experience in drones, missiles, electronic warfare, and other areas with the capabilities of our partners. Italy has shown interest in this format, and Giorgia and I agreed that our teams will work out the details of a drone agreement between our countries,” Zelenskyy said.
Rome has expressed particular interest in launching joint drone production initiatives with Ukraine.
Meloni confirmed that Italy is keen to deepen cooperation in this area, saying the country is “very interested in developing joint production, especially in the field of drones. We clearly understand that Ukraine has become one of the leading nations in this sector in recent years.”
Since 2022, Italy has provided Ukraine with around a dozen military aid packages, including the SAMP/T air defense system supplied jointly with France.
According to Italy’s latest intelligence report, Rome has delivered approximately $3 billion in direct aid to Ukraine, alongside an additional $12.4 billion through European Union funding mechanisms.
Earlier, Japan formally eased its long-standing restrictions on defense exports, creating new opportunities for allied countries supporting Ukraine to access Japanese-made military equipment, including air defense interceptors, naval platforms, and aircraft.
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