Former President Donald Trump claimed the US had given Ukraine more aid than all European countries combined.
“The European countries are spending $100 billion together, maybe more, less than we are,” Trump said.
Facts first: Trump’s claim is false: European countries provided more aid to Ukraine than the United States from just before the Russian invasion in early 2022 through April 2024, according to data from Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
The Kiel Institute, which tracks aid to Ukraine closely, found that between late January 2022 (one month before the Russian invasion) and April 2024, the European Union and individual European countries committed a total of about $190 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, compared with about $106 billion provided by the United States.
Europe also surpassed the United States in aid “allocated” to Ukraine (aid provided or designated for provision, as defined by the Institute), which amounted to about $109 billion. About $79 billion in Europe For the United States.
Additionally, Europe provided more military aid to Ukraine, about $76 billion compared with about $69 billion from the U.S. The U.S. had a slight lead in military aid allocations, more than $50 billion to Europe’s less than $48 billion, but still nowhere near the disproportionate gap Trump suggested.
It is important to note that using different methodologies may yield different totals. The Kiel Institute also found that Ukraine itself would receive only about half of what was widely described as a $61 billion aid bill for Ukraine in 2024. The institute said most of the remaining funds went to the Department of Defense.
