New pledges of Western aid to Ukraine have slowed sharply, against a backdrop of political dissension in Europe and the United States, falling to their lowest level since the start of the Russian invasion in early 2022, the EU said on Thursday. German research institute Kiel Institute. “The dynamic of support for Ukraine is slowing down. Aid pledges reached their lowest level between August and October 2023 – a drop of almost 90% compared to the same period in 2022,” explains the institute. , which lists the military, financial and humanitarian aid promised and delivered to Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
“The outlook is uncertain”
According to data from the Kiel Institute, new commitments made between the beginning of August and the end of October amount to 2.11 billion euros, a figure down 87% compared to the same period in 2022. This is of the “lowest” quarterly amount since the start of the war. In total, since the start of the war, Ukraine’s allies and major international organizations (World Bank, IMF, etc.) have promised it nearly 255 billion euros in aid, including 182 billion in the short term. (already delivered or planned within one year). These commitments include 141 billion euros 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 have committed to new aid packages” and the new commitments from the European Union and the United States have been “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 continued 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 team monitoring aid to Ukraine.
An envelope of 50 billion euros planned to consolidate European support for Ukraine is blocked by the reluctance of certain European countries to pay more, just like the new American envelope, which is blocked in the American Congress by the reluctance of elected officials Republicans.