A group of German researchers tracking international support for Ukraine has calculated that in the fall of 2023, the amount of aid pledged decreased compared to the fall of last year, indicating delays in decisions on long-term support from the US and EU.
Recent data confirm that European states and EU institutions provide the most assistance to Ukraine – military, financial, and humanitarian – but the United States is the main source of weapons.
Researchers at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which compiles published official data, note that between August and October 2023, out of more than 40 donor countries tracked, only 20 announced new tranches of aid to Ukraine, and that the amounts were almost 90% lower than in the same period in 2022.
They emphasize that Ukraine is currently receiving assistance under previously announced multi-year programs, but point to uncertainty about the future.
"The figures confirm the impression that donors have been more hesitant in recent months. Ukraine is increasingly dependent on a narrow circle of donors who provide substantial assistance, including Germany, the United States and the Nordic countries," said Christopher Trebesch, director of the Kiel Institute's research center, who is leading the study.
He noted that "given the uncertainty about further US assistance, Ukraine can only hope that the EU will finally approve the long-rumored €50 billion in aid. Further delays will obviously strengthen Putin's position."
In addition to the United States and Germany, the researchers name the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, and Finland as the largest providers of military aid to Ukraine.
In terms of GDP, the researchers identified Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Latvia, Slovakia, Poland, the Netherlands, Finland, and the Czech Republic as the most generous donors of aid to Ukraine.
Background. As a reminder, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the United States had delivered "one of the last" aid packages to Ukraine yesterday.