European Military Aid to Wartime Ukraine Drops by Half

Kiel Institute for the World Economy Releases Report

Since the outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia in February 2022, international military aid to Ukraine in the second half of this year has dropped to nearly half the level of the first half.

On October 14, Yonhap News cited a report from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany to analyze Ukraine's military aid for July and August. During this period, the average monthly aid amounted to 2.26 billion euros (approximately 3.7 trillion won), representing a 42.5% decrease compared to the first half's average of 3.94 billion euros (about 6.5 trillion won) per month.

Patriot air defense system (left) and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

Of the aid provided in the second half of the year, an average of 960 million euros per month (around 1.6 trillion won) was delivered through the "Priority Ukraine Request List" (PURL). Under the PURL system, when Ukraine requests necessary weapons, NATO member states send funds to the U.S. government to procure American-made weapons.

Former President Trump approved only the export of weapons by defense contractors and the transfer of U.S. military weapons, without using the U.S. budget. The average monthly U.S. aid in the first half was 80 million euros (about 130 billion won), but in July and August, it dropped to zero. During President Biden's term from 2022 to 2024, the average monthly aid reached 1.78 billion euros (about 2.9 trillion won).

European countries also significantly reduced their aid. The average monthly aid fell from 3.78 billion euros (around 6.3 trillion won) in the first half to 890 million euros (about 1.5 trillion won) in the second half. Even when including NATO PURL aid, the total reached only 1.85 billion euros (approximately 3.1 trillion won). The participating countries were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden-a total of eight nations.

The Kiel Institute analyzed, "After the United States stopped announcing new military aid packages, Europe increased its support in the first half of the year, but this upward trend halted in the summer."

Meanwhile, former President Trump, who had previously attempted negotiations with Russia, is now considering strong military support for Ukraine, signaling a return to traditional strategy. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, is scheduled to meet with former President Trump in Washington, D.C., on October 17 to discuss ways to maintain pressure on Russia, including air defense systems and long-range strike capabilities.