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Western nations have donated close to an estimated 100bn USD in military aid to Ukraine to help the besieged country defeat the invading Russian armed forces.
More than 40 countries, led by the United States President Joe Biden, have supplied the Ukrainian armed forces with combat drones, helicopters, tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery pieces, anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, along with millions of artillery shells.
Ukrainian troops have been trained in both the UK and in Europe to fly combat aircraft such as the F-16 aircraft, while thousands more have received combat training.
Other countries have also donated billions of dollars in cash so that the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy can continue to pay his armed forces and government employees.
The US Congress has approved around $46.6 billion in direct military aid to Ukraine since NATO countries began organising support for Ukraine a month before the full-scale invasion, data shows. This is part of a total $113 billion aid budget for both defence and civilian needs – though not all of it is meant to go directly to Ukraine. Some of those funds are to replenish the US military for its previous donations of weaponry and ammunition and to help other countries impacted by the geopolitical situation.
But the funding package has stalled amid fierce debate on immigration policy, with Republicans demanding stricter protocols on asylum and parole.
Collectively, European Union countries have committed $38 billion in direct military support to Kyiv, with Germany, Denmark and Poland the largest contributors. The United Kingdom has pledged more than $7 billion in direct military aid.
Earlier this week President Zelenskiy has made an impassioned plea for international support for his country’s war against Russia, insisting that Vladimir Putin must live to regret starting the conflict almost two years ago.
In a speech warmly received by the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Ukrainian president said Russian President Vladimir Putin had stolen 13 years of peace and would only respond to military defeat.
“If anybody thinks this is just about Ukraine they are fundamentally mistaken,” President Zelenskiy said, after a meeting in Davos with 70 chief executives and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen.
Dressed in his trademark black jumper, Zelenskiy said the Russian leader was spurred on to take military action by warnings to Ukraine not to escalate a conflict that began with the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. “Every ‘do not escalate’ sounded like ‘you will prevail’ to Putin. Because of ‘don’t escalate’, lives were lost,” Zelenskiy said.
“One man has stolen at least 13 years of peace, replacing them with pain, pain, pain and crisis that impact the entire world.”
Zelenskiy had earlier received strong support from von der Leyen, who said Putin had failed militarily, economically and diplomatically.
“Ukraine can prevail in this war, but we must continue to empower their resistance,” von der Leyen said in her keynote address. “Ukrainians need predictable financing throughout 2024 and beyond. “They need a sufficient and sustained supply of weapons to defend Ukraine and regain its rightful territory.”
Earlier this month British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed the UK will provide £2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2024/25, an increase of £200 million on the previous two years.
The government said the funding will help to leverage the best of UK military expertise and defence production to ensure Ukraine’s victory on the battlefield, including in critical areas like long-range missiles, air defence, artillery ammunition and maritime security.
Of the £2.5 billion, at least £200 million will be spent on a major push to rapidly procure and produce thousands of military drones for Ukraine, including surveillance, long-range strike and sea drones. The technology will give Ukraine cutting edge, battle-tested capabilities to defend their citizens and target the invading Russian forces on land and sea.
During a visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “For two years, Ukraine has fought with great courage to repel a brutal Russian invasion. They are still fighting, unfaltering in their determination to defend their country and defend the principles of freedom and democracy.
“I am here today with one message: the UK will also not falter. We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.
“The UK is already one of Ukraine’s closest partners, because we recognise their security is our security. Today we are going further – increasing our military aid, delivering thousands of cutting-edge drones, and signing a historic new Security Agreement to provide Ukraine with the assurances it needs for the long term.”
