EU Surpasses US in Aid to Kiev for First Time in March, April
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – For the first time in three years, the EU provided Ukraine with more military aid than the United States during the months of March and April, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German-based research center that monitors international support for Kiev.
According to the report, while the United States did not allocate any new aid to Ukraine during March and April, European countries increased their contributions. As a result, for the first time since June 2022, Europe surpassed the US in terms of total military assistance, which has now reached 72 bln euro compared to 65 bln euro, the institute said in a press release, TASS reported.
According to the researchers, the EU sharply increased its support to Ukraine over the course of those two spring months, providing 10.4 bln euro in military aid and 9.8 bln euro in humanitarian and financial assistance. This marks the highest two-month total since the onset of the conflict. As a result, according to the report, Europe has effectively replaced the United States as Kiev’s largest sponsor, at least in financial terms.
At the same time, the institute noted the uneven distribution of aid growth among European countries. The surge was driven primarily by Northern European states, which have increased their support by 5.8 bln euro since the beginning of the year and are on track to set new records. The United Kingdom has also ramped up its aid, transferring 4.5 bln euro to Kiev since January, while France has contributed 2.2 bln euro. EU institutions themselves allocated 12.2 bln euro over the same period.
In contrast, Germany reduced its support to Ukraine by approximately 70% compared to the same period last year, contributing only 650 mln euro. Spain and Italy made minimal contributions of 10 mln euro and 20 mln euro, respectively.
Russia says the continued supply of weapons to Ukraine serves only to prolong the conflict.
