How much is the West spending on the Ukraine war?

But how much support did Ukraine get and how did it make a difference?

Just last week US President Bidenpledged an additional $45 billion in support to Ukraine - Congress is about to do it now Consultation is planned. If the proposal is passed, it will be the fourth U.S. aid package to Ukraine, bringing the total amount allocated to Ukraine by the U.S. to $100 billion since February.

This astonishing number has led Republican Representatives and other Russian defenders to claim that the Ukraine war has turned into a proxy war launched by the United States against Russia. But it’s not just the fringes of the Republican Party that seem inclined to repeat this Russian propaganda.

Since Russia launched military operations against Ukraine on February 24 this year, at least 28 countries have provided weapons to Ukraine

Yellow is the country that provided supplies

At the same time, many international relations scholars and other experts in the field have also Disagree with this view.

Lauta, lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Reading, "This is clearly not a proxy war."

He said, "A proxy war is an indirect war, usually conducted in secret, can be denied, and Beyond the jurisdiction of international law. And the U.S.-Ukraine partnership is a classic case of bilateral military and economic assistance."

"The only proxy war is the war Russia has waged against Ukraine since 2014, when, It started supporting, training and clandestinely aiding separatist groups in the Donbass region."

Tracking war spending

Besides the US, Europe also paid its fair share for this military-economic partnership that Lauta mentioned.

However, it is difficult to track exactly how much money was allocated to Ukraine.

Fortunately, the German research institute "Kiel Institute for the World Economy" has managed to provide fairly accurate figures. It should be noted that these figures are based on statistics from the Ukrainian-backed agency that monitors the Western response to Ukraine provides military aid, humanitarian services and financial aid.

However, calculating the numbers can be a challenge, says Frank, an economist at the Kiel Institute for the World Economics,

“The main obstacle is information – especially Availability of official information, and price assessments of items—particularly military items. We conduct an in-depth study with a large number of search mechanisms to address the former problem. "

He also pointed out, "Generally speaking, the information we get from official government channels is ready-made. Where there is no official information, or if the statement does not adequately quantify the amount of the donation, then we supplement it with credible media reports.

One problem with this approach is that the official information on military assistance from the US or the UK is often incomplete. "Our work can only go as far as the official public release of information," said Frank. , our new criteria show which countries provide good and transparent information and which countries do not. "

He also added, "To find the right price for military products, it mainly relies on the contract value of the arms trade database published by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute , which can also calculate the average unit price. We stick to our self-imposed capping rule because it allows us to use prices for new goods so as not to underestimate the true value of bilateral support. ”

However, donor countries vary in terms of data transparency.

Frank pointed out that “official and available information from the United States is the latest and most detailed to allow accurate estimates of military support and in-kind militaryTotal value supported. "

he added, "The situation is different in EU member states. Eastern European, Baltic , and other countries are generally transparent when disclosing the number and total amount of military aid programs. And in the same category, countries like Spain, Italy, and Portugal are very opaque and even deliberately withhold information. "

Armament at a Glance

The United States provided the most support

As Europe's de facto leader, Germany posed a particular challenge, mainly because Berlin handed over stockpiles of military equipment that had long since been decommissioned or written off, so, There are currently no valid price estimates.

For example, Germany provides heavy weapons - such as anti-tank equipment and anti-aircraft missiles, but it also supplies light weapons - such as machine guns , grenades and other ammunition.

On the one hand, This type of military material comes from the stockpiles of the German Armed Forces or the Bundeswehr , on the other hand, from the stockpiles of industry financed by the federal government.

provides a detailed overview of deliveries on their website, albeit with caveats.

Frank said, " Countries like Germany provide detailed quantity lists of items promised and delivered, but without showing the value. "

" he pointed out, "this posed a great challenge to our work, because some of the items sent by Germany were from the Wehrmacht stocks, which had been in service for more than 10 years, and it was almost impossible to find suitable price to estimate. "

It is therefore no surprise that the United States provides the most military support to Ukraine, according to data provided by the Kiel Institute for World Economics.

Frank pointed out, "By far the largest contributor of military aid is the United States, and currently its Pledged 22.86 billion euros ($24.37 billion) in aid. The U.K. committed the second-biggest amount, 4.13 billion euros ($4.4 billion).

In fact, Britain has always been one of the largest arms suppliers to Ukraine.

The UK government has delivered or promised to deliver M270 multiple rocket launchers, thousands of anti-tank weapons, hundreds of short-range missiles, armored vehicles and some interplanetary air defense systems to Ukraine.

Shortly after taking office, the British Prime Minister Sunak also promised to provide an additional 125 anti-aircraft missiles.

Germany, meanwhile, ranks third in military aid spending behind the United States and Britain, providing 2.34 billion euros ($2.49 billion) in aid so far.

Great Britain and Germany have the lion's share of European support. In total, EU member states provided 8.61 billion euros ($9.18 billion) in military aid, according to data provided by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Western aid had an "undeniable impact"

European commitment was not limited to military support.

Frank pointed out that "if we include the European Peace Fund - a military reimbursement scheme run by the EU - the total EU military support would increase by 3.1 billion euros (about 3.3 billion U.S. dollars) to reach 11.71 billion euros ($12.48 billion). And that includes commitments until November 20."

As EU countries and EU institutions decide to provide Ukraine with an additional 18 billion euros ($19 billion) from January next year aid, they are surpassing the United States in aid to Ukraine.

The Kiel Institute for World Economics said that by then, Europe will provide Kyiv with a total of 52 billion euros (about 55 billion U.S. dollars) in support, while the United States will provide 48 billion euros (about 51 billion U.S. dollars) in "military, Financial and humanitarian aid".

Some of the numbers inevitably draw comparisons to the support the world has given to other troubled countries. However, Professor Lauta, of the University of Reading, said it would be difficult to find a similar precedent.

he noted, “I think people are generally looking for examples that are comparable to the current situation, but most of them are not perfect. People should not focus on the comparison and some of the mistakes in it, but on the On continued support for Ukraine."

"Its undeniable influence—from intelligence sharing to the recently approved $1.8 billion package —has enabled Ukraine to fend off Russian aggression in unexpected ways. "

In the face of these huge sums of money, pro-Russian voices are spreading the argument more widely than ever that the aid is being misdirected or used to foment war.

Aid to Ukraine is often thought to be disproportionately higher than Russia's defense budget.

However, according to the latest intelligence information released by the British Ministry of Defense,Putinhas pledged to fund his war in Ukraine in excess of 116 billion pounds ($140 billion) in 2023 alone, and Reuters recently An analysis released shows that Russia's total defense and security budget in 2023 will reach $155 billion. It remains to be seen whether the

united front against the Russian aggression will hold firm—especially under the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives.

Rauta said, "On the one hand, the balance of success or failure has not shifted in the direction of the two countries - each month's progress has a different logic. Ukraine's advance in the territory is also accompanied by Russia's infrastructure attack, and there are rumors that Russia is trying to retake Kyiv through further mobilization in January-February."

He added, "On the other hand, parallel to Ukraine's firm determination to repel the Russian attack, Russia's lack of commitment to peace."

"Whatever happens in 2023, Russia's quest for peace may be an illusion, a means to buy time, mobilize and regroup. One can predict that 2023 will be able to provide Ukraine with Bring more support to the transatlantic community, which faces the most serious security problems in decades."