Thanks to a new EU loan, military aid to Ukraine reached in June its highest level since US assistance ended, but the long-term trend continues to lag, according to the German research institute Kiel Institute.
Military aid to Kyiv reached €7.2 billion in June, the highest figure since the €9.04 billion allocated in April 2024, before US funding expired in February 2025.
This represents the third-largest monthly increase in military assistance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to Kiel Institute data, which tracks promised and delivered military, financial and humanitarian aid to Kyiv since the war began.
The uptick is mainly due to the new loan supporting Ukraine, which helped bring the total military aid allocated by EU institutions in May and June to €4.3 billion.
Overall, the European Union has approved a €90 billion loan for 2026–2027 to help Ukraine finance its war against Russia and ensure the functioning of the state.
“The rapid disbursement of the loan sent a positive signal to Ukraine,” comments Taro Nishikawa of the Kiel Institute. In addition to this loan, Germany allocated €700 million, Denmark €600 million and the Netherlands €500 million to support the Ukrainian armed forces.
However, long-term funding levels remain below those before US President Donald Trump halted assistance. Prior to February 2025, donors were providing an average of €3.46 billion per month in military aid to Kyiv. Since then, that figure has fallen to €2.94 billion per month.
Although the United States no longer directly contributes to Ukraine’s war effort, its weapons continue to play a key role. Europe is increasingly purchasing arms from US defence firms and receiving supplies from US military stockpiles. “The United States remains a crucial supplier of defence systems such as the Patriot, for which Europe currently has only limited alternatives,” notes Federico Mellace, an analyst at the institute.
“In the long term, the fundamental question will be whether Europe can develop and produce reliable substitutes for major US defence systems and gradually reduce its dependence,” he added.