Europe, not America, is now Ukraine’s largest backer

The Economist

Europe, not America, is now Ukraine’s largest backer

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The latest analysis from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think-tank that tracks international backing for Ukraine, finds that donors pledged some 237.9bn ($256bn) of support between January 24th 2022, one month before the war began, and July 31st 2023. For much of the war America has been Ukraines most generous backer. But aid from the EU, including long-term pledges, has grown to almost double Americas sum, at 131.9bn since January 2022 compared with 69.5bn. Add non-EU European countries like Britain and Norway, and the gap grows yet wider. The discrepancy results from a difference in approach. Americas and Europes short-term commitmentssupport for one year or lessare roughly equivalent. Yet European donors are increasingly pledging multi-year aid packages. For instance, the EUs Ukraine Facility, a 50bn budgetary-support programme, lasts until 2027. But when it comes to the weapons and munitions that make a difference on the battlefield, America still dwarfs its European peers. Its military pledges stood at 42.1bn by the end of July, more than double those of Germany, Europes largest military donor.