2024-02-17 10:03:00
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Which country is providing how much military aid to Ukraine? New data on the USA, Europe and Germany are surprising.
Munich – Ukraine still needs all help in defending itself once morest Russia’s war of aggression – according to expert assessments, there is a lack of ammunition, but also of money in the state budget. But who gives how much for the Ukrainian defense struggle? The Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel) presented new data on Friday (February 16) on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The basis of the “Ukraine Tracker” is now “allocated aid” for the near future, for example from longer-term programs, not just actual deliveries, as economist Christoph Trebesch explained. The result might be surprising: According to surveys by IfW Kiel, Europe has been the most important aid donor overall since the start of the Ukraine war. And within the continent, Germany is now the most important helper, including in terms of military aid – far ahead of the United Kingdom, which has long been labeled as Ukraine’s “most determined supporter”.
Ukraine needs (military) aid: which country is giving how much?
When it comes to military support, the USA still has the leading role, said Trebesch. What is new, however, is that Europe takes the lead in terms of the total volume of all aid provided. The advantage is particularly large when looking at aid that has been “provided” as well as aid that has been promised but not yet necessarily delivered or transferred. Looking at it positively, this means that the European Union still has a lot of scope for further aid.
One example is the components of the 50 billion euro package that was recently decided following a long struggle. And also the gap in terms of things provided military Aid is melting: By January 15th, the US had provided 43.2 billion euros for weapons and the like – the Europeans, including Norway, Switzerland, the UK and Iceland, only around two billion less. The US pots have “been exhausted” over time, according to the IfW Kiel report. The US Congress is currently struggling to find new funds for Ukraine.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in front of a Leopard 2 battle tank in October 2022. © IMAGO/Björn Trotsky
According to Kiel data, Germany has provided the equivalent of 9.36 billion euros in military aid alone. However, the top position is somewhat put into perspective when measured once morest the economic strength of the respective states. In relation to gross domestic product, Estonia and Denmark do the most. London has done less for Ukraine, especially in the last six months. Poland probably didn’t do much on the military side in 2023 either.
Ukraine military aid from Europe: The most important supporters – Germany leads
Status: 15 January 2024
Aid to Ukraine experienced a “collapse” in the fall: France’s benefits were comparatively low
Trebesch warned of a worrying trend. The “dynamics” in aid to Ukraine is significantly lower than it was a year ago. Since the fall there has been a virtual “collapse” in new support, said the economist. According to Trebesch, the data evaluated refers to the period from the start of the war to January 15, 2024. There was a little more movement in the period that followed, he put it into perspective. In fact, Vladimir Putin’s Russia seems to be relying on “war weariness” in the West and also the EU.
The IfW Kiel data was recently controversially discussed in France, among others. Trebesch explained that we always refer to publicly accessible data. But Paris gives away comparatively little. However, a parliamentary report recently provided insight – it suggests that France’s performance, despite all the uncertainties, lags far behind countries like Germany.
Tanks, drones, air defense: weapons for Ukraine
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Other small restrictions are also necessary. According to Trebesch, only “key military equipment” was included in the figures. In addition, the overall figures include humanitarian and financial aid. Military training, secret service information or access to the European Galileo satellite navigation system are not recorded. The economist also pointed out that some countries are interested in making the numbers appear large – for example by setting the replacement value for old military material. You look at that critically. (fn)
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