The US has almost completely stopped its military aid to Ukraine. Europe is stepping in and significantly increasing its support, writes Focus.de.
The US has almost completely stopped its military aid to Ukraine in 2025. According to a report by the Kiel Institute for World Economy, support has dropped by 99 percent compared to previous years. Four years ago, Russia carried out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the war continues to this day.
Since Donald Trump took office as US president again in January 2025, his administration has not approved any new defense aid - unlike his predecessor Joe Biden. Instead, Trump is relying on arms sales through NATO partners.
While the US has been reducing its aid, Europe has significantly increased its support. European contributions to Ukraine have increased by 67% in military aid and by 59% in humanitarian and financial assistance in 2025. The European Union has provided a total of €28.48 billion, with the European Commission playing a particularly important role.
Ukraine’s growing budgetary needs are now largely financed by EU loans and grants. This form of support is more fairly distributed, as it is based on the countries’ share of the EU’s gross domestic product.
Ukraine’s biggest supporters in Europe are Germany and the UK, which together provide two-thirds of Western military aid. Northern European countries such as Norway and the Netherlands also play a significant role, according to the report. In contrast, countries in Eastern and Southern Europe have significantly reduced their contributions. The share of Eastern European countries in military aid has fallen from 17% in 2022 to just 2% in 2025. Southern Europe has reduced its share from 7% to 3%.