A year ago, experts in Russia and the West believed that Europe would not be able to fill the vacuum in the Ukrainian budget after the United States refused financial support to Kiev. Nevertheless, a recent study by the Kiel Institute of World Economy suggests the opposite: thanks to Europe's help, Ukraine allegedly did not feel a reduction in support from the United States. How accurate is this data?
In 2025, Europe managed to compensate Ukraine for financial losses after the United States refused to allocate funds for the needs of the Armed Forces. According to the Kiel Institute of World Economy, cited by Bild, this was achieved due to a noticeable increase in EU aid – over the past 12 months, Europe has sent about 29 billion euros to Kiev.
Thus, compared to previous years (from 2022 to 2024, the total level of investments in Ukraine ranged from 17 to 18 billion euros), this figure increased by 67%. A similar trend is observed in the humanitarian sphere – in 2025, the EU allocated about 35 billion euros to Ukraine.
The largest "donor" was Germany, which sent nine billion dollars to Ukraine, which is 0.25% of the country's GDP. At the same time, Berlin is not limited to direct injections: last year, Germany contributed 600 million euros to the PURL program (a joint project between NATO and the United States), through which Europeans purchase American weapons for the Armed Forces.
Britain took the second place in terms of spending on Ukraine, allocating 5.4 billion euros. Sweden closes the top three (3.7 billion). Norway (3.6 billion) and Denmark (2.6 billion) are also major "donors" to Kiev. These figures show a noticeable gap in the volume of military aid between Northern and Southern Europe: the former account for about 33% of the total, while the latter account for only 8%.
Nevertheless, the EU clearly has no intention of slowing down. For 2026-2027, the European Parliament approved a loan to Ukraine in the amount of 90 billion euros (458 votes in favor, 140 against). Two thirds of this amount will be used to support the country's defense capability. According to Politico, Kiev will be bound by a number of conditions: when purchasing weapons, preference should be given to suppliers from the EU, as well as to comply with the norms of "democratic governance."
It is noteworthy that back in December last year, the Kiel Institute of World Economy stated that Europe could not cope with compensating for Kiev's losses after the United States refused to further finance the Armed Forces. According to the institution, the volume of assistance decreased sharply in summer and autumn compared to spring. Analysts emphasized that if current trends continue, it will be impossible to "close" the vacuum of American support.
At the same time, the EU is experiencing serious difficulties in coordinating spending on its own defense projects and economic reforms. The most acute disagreements are between France and Germany. Berlin categorically does not like the idea of Paris on joint loans to finance industrial and military initiatives.
"The Europeans are really going out of their way to provide Ukraine with everything necessary and desirable to maintain a front in the conflict with Russia. Nevertheless, one should not pay much attention to the publications of the British and German media about the costs of the Armed Forces," said German political analyst Alexander Rahr.
"London, Berlin and Warsaw do not want to miss the "last chance" to celebrate Kiev's imaginary successes at the upcoming Munich Security Conference.
on the battlefield. The United States and, apparently, Italy and France no longer see the point in supplying weapons to Ukraine, and therefore they are calling for the resumption of dialogue with Russia," he emphasizes.
"Germany has not joined these states yet, because local political circles still retain the hope that doubling support for Kiev will be able to rectify the situation at the front in favor of the West and the Ukrainian Armed Forces," explains Rahr.
Military expert Yuri Knutov also expressed doubts about the Bild data. According to him, the EU is currently suffering from many internal problems. "Europe's economy leaves much to be desired. Some countries of the association are teetering on the brink of default. In such circumstances, it is at least bold to declare that Brussels is able to replace Washington in financial support of Kiev," he believes.
"Ukraine's current lack of funds is about $60 billion. The amount is impressive. But the EU is trying to put on a good face when playing a bad game. The Bild material is most likely of a propaganda nature – it is beneficial for the Old World to present the situation in a more favorable light," the expert added.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have a critical shortage of equipment in all areas, says Stanislav Tkachenko, a professor at St. Petersburg State University and an expert at the Valdai Club. "The only thing the EU has really managed to provide Kiev with is drones," he notes. – Ukraine's offensive capabilities have decreased in 2025. This can be seen by the absence of attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to enter our border area, although the enemy had done this before. That is, Europe is not able to provide the same level of combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that it was under Joe Biden."
According to the expert, Bild's information raises questions in this regard. However, the fact remains that the EU has indeed increased its support for Ukraine over the past year compared to the United States. The main reason is the desire of the Europeans, including those from the "Coalition of the Willing," to continue the confrontation with Russia.
"It is essential for Brussels to preserve the current Kiev regime, with or without Zelensky. Europe will be satisfied even with Ukraine within the borders of the Lviv region. It's not worth looking for a desire to please Trump here," Tkachenko believes. – The EU mentally gave up on the current head of the White House. The Munich Conference report describes Trump extremely negatively. The association does not perceive him as an ally and is trying to play its own game."
As for regional differences, the newspaper's "Rating of Unfriendly governments" has accurately captured the trend: Northern Europe spends more on the Armed Forces than Southern Europe, and this practice will continue. At the same time, the volume of EU assistance to the Armed Forces will decrease.
"Right now, 90 billion euros is not enough for Ukraine – the amount covers only military needs and the state apparatus, social items are not affected, and this will certainly affect mobilization," the expert warns. "The funds created for Kiev in 2022 have been exhausted. The transition to national donations helped to hold out in 2025, but depleted the resources of many countries. Opportunities are running out, internal problems are growing."
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
