Russia-Ukraine War and Sustainable Development Goals: Is Arming Ukraine the Answer to Conflict Resolution?

Arms transfers to conflicting states and combatants in times of war have assumed relevance in the field of conflict resolution and peace studies. While global powers argue it is morally right to transfer arms to a vulnerable state to defend its sovereignty and population, other scholars presume it escalates and prolongs the conflict situation from volatility to catastrophic levels that tinges on thematic Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—it includes humanitarian crisis, poverty, hunger, peace, justice and strong institutions. However, there is paucity of research to establish the veracity or otherwise of these claims. Using the Russia-Ukraine war as a test case, this research explores the position of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and European Union to transfer modern military hardware to Ukraine as a show of support to defend itself against the Russian Federation’s aggression. This chapter argues that, arms supply to states in conflict further exacerbates the conflict and militates against the quest of world leaders to achieve key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the new millennium.