Europe versus United States Aid to Ukraine – How the Numbers Stack Up

At a press conference on February 7, 2025, with the visiting Japanese Prime Minister, President Trump spoke about the war in Ukraine rightly decrying the loss of lives. In addition, he complained about the European financial commitment to Ukraine. According to President Trump, while the United States has given Ukraine $300 billion in aid, Europe has provided only half of the United States’ number.

According to President Trump Europe should be doing much more to protect Ukraine considering the war is in Europe’s backyard. It threatens their security interests more than it does the United States.

However, what is the reality? How much has the United States committed to Ukraine and protecting European NATO allies and how much has Europe committed since the war broke out?

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Congressional Aid packages have committed $176 billion to the war in Ukraine. About $106 billion directly aids the government of Ukraine, with the rest of the funding used in the United States or other countries in Europe impacted by the war.

According to the Congressional Research Services, the European Union and EU countries have committed Euro 134 billion or about $138 billion to aid in the war in Ukraine. The breakdown of this support includes the following:

·       Euro 67 billion in financial, humanitarian, and emergency aid to Ukraine

·       Euro 17 billion for Ukrainian refugee aid

·       Euro 48.3 billion in military aid

·       Euro 1.5 billion to Ukraine from seized Russian assets

However, there are non-European Union countries in Europe also providing Ukraine with assistance like the United Kingdom. What has been the United Kingdom’s assistance to Ukraine to date?

The United Kingdom has given GBP 12.8 billion ($15.87 billion) since the outbreak of the war as broken out as follows:

·       GBP 7.8 billion in military support

·       GBP 5 billion in non-military support

Other non-EU European countries like Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland have provided Ukraine with an additional $3.24 billion.

In total, Europe has provided Ukraine with at least $157 billion to aid them in their existential war with Russia. While this is less than the $176 billion commitment from the United States, it’s only 10% less than the U.S. commitment.

Could Europe do more to help Ukraine?

Yes, both Europe and the United States could do more to support Ukraine. Not only could they send more military, financial, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but they could also tighten and extend sanctions against Russia. While Europe renewed its sanctions package against Russia in January of this year, it could do more. The US and Europe could do more to intercept Russian oil and gas shipments and tighten sanctions against Russian banks, the two key financial resources that are helping Vladimir Putin fuel his war against Ukraine.

Europe is doing its part.