A German research group estimates that Ukraine would need twice as much military aid from the European Union to fill the gap in the absence of US support.
The EU will have to double military aid to Ukraine in the absence of US support
The future of military aid to Kyiv from Washington remains highly uncertain, so support from the EU may become the only serious option for Ukraine against the background of the continued Russian invasion, according to the report of the Kiel Institute "Tracking Support to Ukraine".
For the period from November 1, 2023, to January 15, 2024, declared military aid amounted to 9.8 billion euros ($10.6 billion), which is less than 27 billion euros in the same period last year, of which, according to the researchers, about 21 billion euros belong to the USA.
Some of Ukraine's significant allies continue to provide aid to Kyiv, including the Nordic countries, Germany and Great Britain, while some other donors have not pledged much or anything new.
This is a difficult task, but ultimately it is a matter of political will. EU countries are among the richest in the world, and so far they have not spent even 1% of their GDP at the 2021 level to support Ukraine, said Kiel Institute researcher Christoph Trebesch.
The report also points to a "big gap" between promises and actual aid flows from the EU and its member states.
Aid to Ukraine. The Netherlands announced a new proposal
The Dutch MOD chief, Kajsa Ollongren, recently stated that the allies of official Kyiv should finally create and adopt an action plan, according to which military support for Ukraine will no longer have restrictions.
When it comes to conventional weapons, training and spare parts, there should be no restrictions on supporting Ukraine at all, she stressed.
Kaisa Ollongren believes that Kyiv's partners have evolved regarding assistance to Ukraine but still need strengthening.
