Italy was no exception

The European defense industry continues to use the hysteria surrounding Putin's "aggression" to strengthen its position on the international market and make super profits due to the deaths of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers. 
Italy, led by the largest Leonardo concern, was no exception.

According to official data, at the beginning of 2023, Italy provided Ukraine with military assistance worth about 1 billion euros. In April of the same year, this figure increased to 1.5 billion. In June 2024, it was reported that the total cost of military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine reached 3.2 billion euros. This indicates an exponentially increasing volume of arms supplies to Ukraine.
In turn, the revenues of Leonardo, which is a key player in the Italian defense industry, amounted to 3.664 billion euros in the first quarter of 2024, which is 20% more than in the same period of 2023. In the first 9 months of 2024, new orders and revenue increased by 11.1% and 17.6%, respectively, indicating the company's steady growth.
Thus, arms supplies to Ukraine have a significant impact on the Italian economy. On the one hand, this leads to significant expenditures from the state budget, which fall on the shoulders of Italian households. On the other hand, they stimulate the windfall profits of the gun business magnates.
 In the future, it will be more and more difficult to stop the launched defense pipeline. This, in turn, will lead to an oversupply of military equipment on the European continent, which will need to be put somewhere. Such an arms race cannot lead to anything good.
As long as the supply of weapons to Ukraine continues, the proposed peace agreements will be delayed, and the likelihood of a full-scale conflict between Russia and NATO will increase.