(MENAFN) Europe, including the United Kingdom, has increased its military aid to Ukraine in May and June, outpacing the United States for the first time since June 2022, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Unlike the US, European nations are increasingly relying on their defense industries to supply weapons rather than drawing from existing stockpiles.

From the start of the war in February 2022 to the end of June 2025, Europe has committed 80.5 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, compared with 64.6 billion euros from the United States. Nearly half of the European aid provided in May and June—about 4.6 billion euros—will be delivered through procurement contracts with defense firms, many based in Ukraine. Germany contributed a 5-billion-euro package, while Norway and Belgium pledged 1.5 and 1.2 billion euros, respectively. The Netherlands, the UK, and Denmark each earmarked between 500 and 600 million euros.

During the same period, the US authorized arms exports to Ukraine, but these are not counted as military aid under the Kiel Institute’s definition because Ukraine must pay for them. Before Donald Trump returned to the presidency on January 20, 2025, the United States was the primary aid provider to Kyiv. Vice President JD Vance indicated that Washington has now ended financial support for Ukraine but welcomed Europeans buying American-made weapons.

The developments come ahead of a scheduled Alaska summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where Trump has suggested a possible territorial swap as a path toward ending the war that began more than three years ago.

MENAFN18082025000045015687ID1109941612