Europe surges in military aid to Ukraine, nearly matching US contributions – survey

In the last few months, European countries have nearly surpassed the United States in the amount of military aid provided to Ukraine. While the USA has contributed 43.1 billion euros, Europe has given about 42 billion euros.

The Ukraine Support Tracker study from the Kiel Institute of World Economics shows this.

As analysts note, in particular, during January and February 2024, European countries allocated about 6 billion euros of aid to Ukraine, almost all of which was for the military.

"Overall, Europe's military support amounts to €42 billion in allocations. This compares with the US allocation of €43.1 billion. Together, these two economic blocs account for more than 95 percent of all military aid allocated to Ukraine, amounting to around €88 billion ", emphasized in the study.

As of February 29, donors and the European Union allocated EUR 89.9 billion in military, humanitarian, and financial support to Ukraine, including EUR 67 billion from the United States.

At the same time, European allocations have steadily exceeded those from the United States since the summer of 2023, as Congress has not approved any new aid to Ukraine for more than a year.

"In recent months, Europe has caught up, but it has not been able to fill the big gap left by the US, especially in terms of ammunition. Therefore, the new US aid package is good news for Ukraine," said Christoph Trebesch, the head of Ukraine Support Tracker.

According to him, Western partners' support may again reach the level of the beginning and middle of 2023 by the end of 2024.

It should be noted that the Ukraine Support Tracker is a research project conducted by the Kiel Institute of World Economy, which monitors and measures the military, financial, and humanitarian assistance provided to Ukraine since January 24, 2022. It encompasses 41 countries, including members of the EU and G7, as well as Australia, South Korea, Türkiye, Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, China, Taiwan, India, and Iceland.

As of April 25, the most recent update includes all aid given or prepared for Ukraine up to and including February 29, 2024. The institute tracks actual assistance received or ready to be given rather than a country's promise to provide aid when counting aid to Ukraine.

For reference:

On April 20, the US House of Representatives approved a bill on financing aid to Ukraine. Even before the end of voting, the required number of votes was collected for the draft law. 310 congressmen voted for the draft law, while 112 voted against it.

It should be added that for the document to become law, it must be voted on by both houses of Congress and signed by the US president.

Therefore, already on April 24, the Senate finally supported the law on aid to Ukraine for almost 61 billion dollars.

Later that same day, US President Joe Biden signed it. The head of the White House also announced a new package of 1 billion dollars of military aid to Ukraine.