The figures are more stubborn than any declaration of intentions. In the second American presidency of Donald Trump, Russia’s continuous rearme suggests that Europe will not be able to contain the Kremlin ambitions alone. According to The Military Balance 2025the annual report published by the prestigious International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), Moscow spent 13.1 billion blush last year, which under the rules of purchasing power parity (the metric to compare the value of different currencies) would mean about 462,000 million dollars (445,000 million euros). In the same time, Europe (EU+the United Kingdom) spent 457,000 million dollars.
The defense of Ukraine has accelerated the military reinforcement of Europe. The continent now has a 50% defense budget than ten years ago, according to the IISS. Germany is today the NATO country with a higher arms spending (78.9 billion euros), after the United States, although that increase responds largely to a special defense fund that will hardly be repeated in coming years.
Faced with Trump’s requirement that European countries allocate 5% of their GDP and the ambition of NATO general secretary, Mark Rutte, to increase that budget to 3%, “fiscal restrictions” to which they must Failing many governments, in the immediate future “can further decrease the growth of military spending,” says the IISS report. The average expenditure in defense of Europe is today 1.7%, and Spain is one of the countries that allocates this section (1.3%).
Russia endures more than Ukraine
The report also includes data on losses in troops and military armament in Russia and Ukraine. The Russian army lost about 1,400 tanks last year in the Ukraine War. Since he launched the invasion, he has lost 4,400 combat cars, and now uses many of the stored armored armies of the sixties of the last century.
The personal casualties of both countries are counted in tens of thousands of soldiers and reflect a clear imbalance in favor of Moscow, says the institute. Russia has never officially revealed the number of dead or injured. The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, finally agreed to give data a couple of months ago: 43,000 dead soldiers and about 370,000 injured, he said, but of the latter nearly the half returned to combat. However, publications such as The Economist either The Wall Street Journal They have presented higher calculations of the low -losses. “While Russia can currently maintain the endowment of its forces, the evidence suggests that Ukraine, which has generally kept its low figures secret, has suffered a serious decrease of its staff,” says the IISS report, which shares skepticism of those publications.
The Russian economy has shown so far a greater resistance than the one planned, despite the war and international sanctions. Moscow can still sustain the military effort, with the support of the reserves of the Cold War and the important aid of North Korea and Iran. “About 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to reinforce Russian troops, while Iranian production of drones and ballistic missiles for Russia has also increased,” says the study.
China’s ‘smart army’
The Chinese government last year increased its defense budget by 7%, to reach 235,000 million dollars. Its military expenditure represents 44% of all Asia. Beijing has embarked on a process of modernization of its armed forces that revolve around three axes or objectives: anti -corruption, reorganization and reform. “Significant efforts have been made to eradicate the corruption of the popular liberation army, as well as great attempts to reconfigure it in four services and four weapons. Although President Xi Jinping continues to watch even more closely everything that has to do with the Army, the ELP is advancing towards a more type of military structure intelligent”, Says the IISS.
The Chinese Communist Party, in addition, has advanced in a civil-military fusion that simplifies the acquisition process and improves research and development.
