Ukraine is receiving American aid for the first time in months, but European support is delayed

This is evident from the Ukraine Support Tracker of the authoritative Kiel Institute for World Economy. The last time the US promised a new major support package was in December 2022. That support was delivered during 2023. There has been virtually no new aid since the autumn. In total, the US had delivered 67 billion euros of the promised 70 billion by the end of February this year.

Europe had pledged more than twice as much aid as the US through February, but much of it has not yet arrived in Ukraine. Of the promised 142 billion euros from the EU and individual member states in military, financial and humanitarian aid, 77 billion has now reached the Ukrainians, according to the Kiel Institute. With last weekend’s decision, the American support package is approaching the European one.

The figures show that the Baltic states donate a relatively large amount to Ukraine. Estonia is at the top: that country supported Ukraine for an amount equal to more than 1.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The Netherlands is in tenth place. These percentages only include support that has already been provided or for which a concrete implementation has been agreed.

In recent months, Ukraine has been urgently requesting additional anti-aircraft systems to protect itself against the constant Russian air attacks. To defend all cities, the Ukrainian air force says it needs 25 Patriot systems. Only few European countries have these systems. The Ukrainian appeal has so far yielded one additional system, which Germany committed to last weekend. Now Greece and Spain in particular are under increasing pressure from other EU member states to supply Patriots to Ukraine.