Before February 24, 2022, many did not believe that Russia would invade Ukraine. During the first months of this war, many people, like Vladimir Putin, thought that the matter would end quickly. Two years after this aggression, the Ukrainian army continues to face its powerful invader.
If this resistance against one of the most powerful armies in the world is based on the pugnacity of Ukrainian troops, Western financial and material aid has been valuable. In two years, European countries and the United States have provided more than €190 billion in military aid, budget support, humanitarian support and aid to refugees forced to leave their countries.
An astonishing amount – almost equivalent to Ukraine’s total GDP before the war – that was not enough to, if not defeat, at least stop the advance of Russian troops into Ukrainian territory.
Budget support and humanitarian aid
Weapons were at the center of the debates: some believed that the allies were doing too much, others not enough, but military aid only represents 5.6 billion euros. In fact, most of European financial support went to helping Ukraine cope with the war effort. More than €30 billion was provided for budget support and humanitarian aid, and €17 billion went to refugee aid.
These amounts are intended to pay salaries and pensions, maintain the operation of essential public services (hospitals, schools and housing for relocated people), preserve the country’s macroeconomic stability and restore infrastructure (energy, water, transportation, roads and bridges). . destroyed by war. Member States also released almost 10 billion in grants, loans and guarantees.
In addition to these quantities, EU countries provided significant quantities of weapons, initially drawn from their armies’ stocks and later produced by local defense companies.
Military aid at the forefront
According to the Kiel Institute, a German organization that accounts for aid, Washington follows the European Union with aid amounting to 74.29 billion dollars (68 billion euros) in two years.
For the Americans, the priority was weapons, which represents 46.3% of total aid. Financial aid represents 26.4% and humanitarian aid 2.2%.
Along with Europe and the United States, other countries have organized to financially support kyiv against Russia. The United Kingdom granted $17.18 billion, Japan $8.29 billion, Canada $6.34 billion and Switzerland $2.67 billion.
In total, military aid amounts to more than 100 billion euros, or around half of the aid provided between February 24, 2022 and January 15, 2024.
The Kiel Institute has developed a classification of countries that help by reporting each one’s contribution to their gross domestic product (GDP). The five countries making the greatest effort are Estonia, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway and Latvia. The United States falls to 20th place with aid representing 0.32% of US GDP, half that of most European countries.
These amounts, however significant, will not allow kyiv to manage in the long term without the United States, which is the main contributor to support for Ukraine. The Kiel Institute notes that funds are running out.
In each contributing country, political groups oppose continued support, either because of their political proximity to Vladimir Putin’s Russia or because of highlighting the economic difficulties of their population.
New US aid of $60 billion remains pending. If the US Senate adopted this measure on February 13 thanks to a narrow majority of elected Democrats, the envelope must pass through the House of Representatives, with a Republican majority. However, Donald Trump’s camp questions aid to Ukraine.
35-year repayable loans
On the European side, aid of 50 billion euros for “the repair, recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine” was released in early February after months of resistance from Hungary, which demanded compensation. This new support, made up of 33 billion euros in loans and 17 billion euros in donations, is planned for the period from 2024 to 2027.
The loans granted to Ukraine by Europe must be repaid over a period of 35 years starting in 2033. Brussels is responsible for repaying the Member States that participated in the aid financially or through the transfer of weapons, whether equipment or ammunition.
Last year, the EU already paid “one billion euros to Member States for ground-to-ground and artillery and missile munitions that they donated to Ukraine from stockpiles of existing orders or after reprioritizing existing orders.” during the period between February 9 and May 31, 2023,” states a press release from the Council of Europe.
Source: BFM TV
