❓WHAT HAPPENED: European military aid to Ukraine dropped significantly during the summer months, according to new data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: NATO member nations, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, and Ukraine.
📍WHEN & WHERE: July and August 2025, across Europe and NATO-aligned countries.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Europe is scaling back its overall military support. What will be crucial now is how the figures evolve in the autumn,” said Christoph Trebesch of the Kiel Institute.
🎯IMPACT: A 57 percent reduction in European military aid raises questions about Ukraine’s ability to sustain its defense capabilities, and European NATO members’ commitment to pulling their weight relative to the United States.
European military aid to Ukraine dropped significantly this summer, despite the launch of a new NATO initiative designed to streamline arms deliveries. A report released Tuesday by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy found that European countries provided or pledged around €3.3 billion (approximately $3.8 billion) in military support during July and August—a 57 percent decrease from the earlier monthly average of €3.85 billion (about $4.5 billion). Military assistance from all donor countries declined overall, but by a lower average rate of 43 percent.
Much of the aid provided over the summer came through NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, a program launched in July that enables member countries to purchase U.S. stockpiles of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine. By the end of August, eight NATO members, including Germany, Canada, and Belgium, had contributed a total of €1.9 billion (about $2.2 billion USD) through the PURL framework.
Unlike military support, humanitarian and financial aid have remained relatively stable. In the first half of 2025 alone, Europe provided €7.5 billion ($8.7 billion USD) in non-military assistance, despite the absence of any new financial commitments from the U.S.
Christoph Trebesch, head of the Ukraine Support Tracker at the Kiel Institute, warned that the decline in military assistance could undermine Ukraine’s ability to continue defending itself. “Europe is scaling back its overall military support,” he said. “What will be crucial now is how the figures evolve in the autumn.”
The downturn in aid comes as Ukraine continues to struggle against ongoing Russian assaults. Russian forces have recently intensified strikes on energy infrastructure, and President Vladimir Putin claimed earlier this month that Russian troops had captured nearly 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in 2025 alone.
Meanwhile, Western public support is waning. A recent poll showed that only one in ten Europeans believes Ukraine can win the war.
Image via Presidential Office of Ukraine.
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