Military and economic support for Ukraine from Western partners has decreased significantly, and European countries are not yet able to fully compensate for this deficit, especially in the field of arms supplies.
According to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, since the beginning of the year, the amount of aid from major allies has decreased significantly. The United States - previously the main donor - has not transferred new weapons to Ukraine since Donald Trump took office as President.
European states have tried to partially fill the gap, but their production capacities remain limited. The most acute deficit is observed in the supply of artillery ammunition, air defense systems and missile launchers.
Reduction in funding
According to the publication, in the summer, the commitments of European countries decreased by 57% compared to the beginning of the year - from EUR 3.8 to EUR 1.9 billion per month. In general, the total assistance of all donors fell by about 40%.
PURL Initiative and NATO Involvement
As part of the PURL Initiative, a number of NATO countries - including Denmark, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Sweden, and Latvia - are purchasing weapons for Ukraine from the United States. The total volume of such purchases is estimated at EUR 1.9 billion.
Denmark, in particular, has transferred all its existing artillery stocks to Ukraine and has begun direct cooperation with the Ukrainian defense sector.
Regional differences
The countries of Southern Europe - France, Italy, and Spain - have more developed defense industries and larger weapons stocks, so their security is less dependent on external support. Unlike the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, or Poland, they retain the potential to increase assistance to Ukraine in the future.
Despite the long war, the amount of financial resources allocated to support Ukraine remains lower than during previous EU crises: assistance is about EUR 215 billion, while hundreds of billions were allocated during the pandemic and the euro crisis.
At the same time, Sweden announced its intention to expand military support - in particular, to provide radar reconnaissance aircraft and, in the future, possibly Gripen fighters.
Norway also announced a new package of civilian assistance to Ukraine in 2026 - to restore energy infrastructure, medicine, education, and humanitarian programs.
As we will recall, Trump refused to provide Zelenskyy with Tomahawks because he considers diplomacy a priority.
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