Between Jan. 24, 2022, and Jan. 15, 2023, the United States provided $46.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine in the effort against the Russian invasion, according to a study by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
The amount given by the U.S. during that period was more than three times the sum given by the next nine highest contributing countries combined, the report said. However, the listed total does not include materiel or weapons, meaning the overall contribution is significantly greater than that number indicates, according to Statista.
“The Americans are setting the pace in supporting Ukraine,” said Christoph Trebesch, head of the team that released the Ukraine Support Tracker for the Kiel Institute. “The Europeans’ hesitancy in the first year of the war is a remarkable phenomenon, especially since financial resources can be quickly mobilized. This is shown, for example, by the vast amount of funds that E.U. governments mobilized to cushion the energy price shock at home.”
While the U.S. government may be contributing the most money, it is a relatively low portion of the country’s overall Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. Despite paying triple the amount of the next nine countries combined, the aid provided by the U.S. is essentially tied for fifth most with Norway and Bulgaria for percentage of GDP offered.
“Even when military, financial and humanitarian aid delivered or pledged by the U.S. is added up, this only amounts to 0.4 percent [of] the country’s GDP,” Statista notes.
Estonia and Latvia, by comparison, have donated 1.071 percent and 0.975 percent of their GDP, respectively, leading the pack of supportive nations.
“With additional pledges of nearly 37 billion euros in December, the Americans have earmarked a total of just over 73.1 billion euros for Ukraine support,” according to a Kiel Institute press release. “For the EU, the comparable figure is 54.9 billion euros.”
Sarah Sicard is a Senior Editor with Military Times. She previously served as the Digitial Editor of Military Times and the Army Times Editor. Other work can be found at National Defense Magazine, Task & Purpose, and Defense News.