Europe leads on Ukraine aid, US weapons remain key: Report

Europe significantly increased its military support for Ukraine, but US weapons still play a key role in continued aid to Kyiv, a study revealed.

In its Ukraine Support Tracker report released Thursday, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy said Europe significantly increased its aid allocations to Ukraine in May and June 2026.

The increase was mainly driven by the newly introduced Ukraine Support Loan, through which European institutions allocated nearly €11 billion ($12.7 billion) over the two months, the institute said.

Beyond the Ukraine Support Loan, European donors also accounted for the majority of newly allocated aid.

However, the research suggested that financial and humanitarian aid remained well below last year's level, while Europe still relies heavily on US weapons for its military aid to Kyiv.

From January to June 2026, European donors procured military aid worth at least €3 billion ($3.4 billion) from US defense companies, the institute said.

That corresponded to around 30% of Europe’s military aid provided through defense industry procurement, according to the report.

"Europe continues to depend on access to US weapons systems to sustain its military support for Ukraine," said Federico Mellace, lead analyst of the Ukraine Support Tracker.

Mellace added that the US remains a key supplier of systems such as Patriot, for which Europe currently has only limited alternatives.