Up to -90%: new Western aid pledges to Ukraine at their lowest since Russian invasion

Europe 1 with AFP 12:32 p.m., December 07, 2023

New Western aid pledges to Ukraine have slowed sharply amid political strife in Europe and the United States, falling to their lowest level since the start of the Russian invasion in early 2022, Germany's Kiel Institute said on Thursday. "The momentum of support for Ukraine is slowing down. Aid pledges reached their lowest level between August and October 2023 -- a drop of nearly 90% compared to the same period in 2022," details the institute, which tracks the military, financial and humanitarian aid promised and delivered to Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.

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"The outlook is uncertain"

According to data from the Kiel Institute, new commitments made between the beginning of August and the end of October amounted to €2.11 billion, a figure down 87% compared to the same period in 2022. This is the "lowest" quarterly amount since the start of the war. In total, since the beginning of the war, Ukraine's allies and major international organisations (World Bank, IMF, etc.) have pledged nearly €255 billion in aid, including €182 billion in the short term (already delivered or planned within a year). These commitments include €141 billion in financial aid, nearly €16 billion in humanitarian aid and €98 billion in military aid.

Over the period from August to October 2023, among the 42 donor countries monitored by the institute, "only 20 committed to new aid packages" and new commitments from the European Union and the United States were "limited". "The outlook is uncertain," according to the institute, "since the largest pending commitment -- from the European Union -- has not been approved and U.S. aid is declining."

Towards a strengthening of Putin's position?

"Given the uncertainty surrounding the continuation of US aid, Ukraine can only hope that the EU finally adopts its long-announced €50 billion support package. A further delay would clearly strengthen Putin's position," warns Christoph Trebesch, who heads the Kiel Institute's team monitoring aid to Ukraine.

A €50 billion package envisaged to consolidate European support for Ukraine is blocked by the reluctance of some European countries to pay more, as is the new American envelope, which is blocked in the US Congress by the reluctance of Republican elected officials.