The Nordics and the UK emerge as leaders in military aid to Ukraine
According to the latest Ukraine Support Tracker by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, European countries provided Ukraine with a total of €20.2 billion in March–April 2025. Of that amount, €10.4 billion was military aid, and €9.8 billion was humanitarian and financial support — marking the highest two-month volume since the full-scale war began.
Since January 2025, average monthly aid from Europe has exceeded the levels recorded between 2022 and 2024, largely compensating for the absence of new U.S. packages after the beginning of the year.
Who filled the gap?
- Sweden: €1.6 billion in March;
- Norway: €670 million in April;
- United Kingdom: €4.5 billion, including €1.8 billion from frozen Russian assets;
- France: €2.2 billion, including nearly €195 million from frozen assets;
- European Union institutions: contributed €12.2 billion.
Who lagged behind?
Despite being major economies, some EU members contributed significantly less:
- Germany: €650 million — 70% less than in the same period of 2024;
- Italy: around €20 million;
- Spain: around €10 million.
What does it mean?
Analysts from Kiel note that Europe not only bridged the gap left by the U.S., but for the first time since June 2022, it surpassed the United States in total military aid: €72 billion versus €65 billion. However, experts caution that it remains unclear whether this shift is sustainable.
“Remarkably, Europe has filled the gap. The question is whether this is a temporary spike or the beginning of a more lasting shift in Europe’s role as Ukraine’s primary supporter,” said Christoph Trebesch, project director at the Kiel Institute.
Summary
Thanks to the leadership of the Nordic countries, the United Kingdom, and institutional EU support, Europe has effectively replaced the U.S. as Ukraine’s primary donor. However, some large EU economies such as Germany, Italy, and Spain have remained relatively passive in terms of new aid packages.
Read the full report on the Kiel Institute's official website.