Ukraine military aid surged in June despite long-term shortages: Institute

LONDON - Boosted by new EU financing, military aid for Ukraine in June hit its highest level since the United States pulled funding, though long-term support is lagging, Kiel Institute data showed on Aug 13.

Kyiv was allocated €7.2 billion (S$10.62 billion) in military aid in June, the highest amount since the €9.04 billion received in April 2024.

US funding dried up in February 2025.

It is the third-biggest monthly military funding boost from donors since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, according to the think tank’s Ukraine Support Tracker.

The surge was largely driven by the European Union’s new Ukraine Support Loan, which helped European institutions allocate €4.3 billion of military aid in May and June.

The €90 billion EU loan was introduced to support Ukraine’s budgetary and defence needs in 2026 and 2027.

“The rapid launch of the Ukraine Support Loan sends a positive signal to Ukraine,” said Taro Nishikawa, project lead of Kiel’s Ukraine Support Tracker.

On top of the loan support, Germany allocated €700 million, Denmark €600 million, and the Netherlands €500 million to support Ukraine’s military.

But long-term funding levels remain below those seen before US President Donald Trump pulled the plug.

Before February 2025, donors allocated an average of €3.46 billion per month in military aid to Kyiv.

Since then, that figure has fallen to €2.94 billion.

Although the United States no longer directly contributes to the Ukraine war effort, its weapons still play a key role.

Europe is increasingly procuring weapons from US defence companies and receiving deliveries from existing US military stockpiles.

“The United States remains a key supplier of systems such as Patriot, for which Europe has only limited alternatives at the moment,” said Federico Mellace, lead analyst of the Ukraine Support Tracker.

“In the longer term, the key question will be whether Europe can develop and produce reliable substitutes to key US defence systems to gradually reduce this dependence,” he added. AFP