According to a study by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Europe has taken the lead in channeling funds for weapons production to Ukraine. From the start of the full-scale war through June 2025, Europe allocated at least €35.1B in military aid through defense procurement, €4.4B more than the US.
In May, the US approved a significant arms export package to Ukraine for the first time since the Trump administration took office, but Kyiv must finance these purchases itself. Germany has allocated a €5B military aid package, the largest amount of bilateral aid to date, according to the study. This is followed by Norway with €1.5B and Belgium with a contribution of €1.2B. The Netherlands, Britain, and Denmark have each allocated €500-600M.
Europe is buying more military aid through industrial contracts than the US. Of the €10.5B in European military aid allocated in May and June 2025, at least €4.6B is planned to be spent on procurement from defense companies rather than from existing stocks. The contracts are mostly with firms based in the EU and Ukraine, highlighting the increasingly important role of defense production in providing Ukraine’s military aid.