How much military aid US gave to Ukraine? Can Kyiv survive without it?

The US has paused all military aid to Ukraine following a recent dispute between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Now, the pressing question is: Can Kyiv’s European allies fill the gap left by Washington?

To understand this, one must first have a clear picture about how much and what all the US gave to Ukraine since Russia invaded in early 2022.

According to a German think tank, the US has provided over $123 billion as against $142 billion donated by all European countries combined.

Germany has been the biggest European donor with assistance amounting to nearly $30 billion, followed by the UK ($15.5 billion), and France at $15 billion, including contributions to the European Union aid.

US military aid to Ukraine

The US has been the biggest donor of military hardware to Ukraine during the war. It provided missiles, air defence systems, artillery and bullets, radios, infantry vehicles and other equipment worth $67.2 billion until December 31, 2024, as per Berlin-based Keil Institute.

US air defence systems like Patriot, NASAMS, HAWK, and Avenger as well as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile Stinger and anti-tank missile Javelin are crucial for defending Ukrainian cities that have often come under attack from Russian missiles.

US-donated HIMARS and ATACM missiles give Ukrainian troops the capability to carry out long range strikes. Though their use inside Russia is restricted, these long range weapons have been crucial to hit high value targets inside Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces.

The US has also provided Ukraine with advanced tanks and sophisticated drones.

European aid to Ukraine

Overall, European countries have provided a little more than the US assistance to Ukraine, including military and humanitarian. Many European nations have pledged to ramp up the support after Trump upped the ante against Ukraine and his European allies over funds.

The UK has ordered air defence missiles worth $2 billion and newly-elected German leader Friedrich Merz has also indicated more aid for Ukraine’s defences.

But is the European aid sufficient to tackle the mighty Russian army? Experts believe it is not.

Though major European powers have provided Ukraine with air defence systems like Soviet-era 2K12 KUB, Russian-origin S-300, France’s Cortale, SAMP/T systems, they are not capable, at least immediately, to supply long range missile systems like Patriot.

As per Keil Institute’s estimates, Europe has provided just one unit of NASAMS and Patriot, the only system capable of intercepting Russia’s Kinzhal missile—one of the Kremlin’s most advanced weapons. Ukraine reportedly has six Patriot systems. T

Impact on Ukraine

Experts believe that it could take time for the impact of missing US aid to be felt on the battlefield. When the US assistance was held in the Congress in 2024, the most notable initial impact was shortages of air defences to shoot down incoming Russian missiles and drones. Later, Ukrainian forces in the east complained of shortages of ammunition, including for artillery, as per Reuters.

But there could be some immediate adverse impact like intelligence gathering. With the US on its side, Ukraine had the advantage of the world’s best space-based surveillance, intelligence gathering and communications.

The aid cut could also hamper communications on the frontline. Media reports have detailed how Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet firm has been vital to communication in Ukraine. Starlink is said to be essential to co-ordinate artillery and drone strikes.

The Ukrainian Army’s Starlink use was also funded by the Pentagon. With the aid missing, Starlink owner Elon Musk – a key figure in the Trump administration and a critic of President Zelenskyy – now may not be willing to foot this bill.

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