BBC Verification Correspondent
Getty ImagesThe scale of the United States (US) support has once again attracted attention as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the White House for talks aimed at ending the war.
President Donald Trump criticized the United States’ past aid compared to Europe. But the figures he had previously cited were not supported by evidence.
The BBC’s verification has been carefully exploring how much the United States has spent since Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and compared to Europe’s contribution.
How much does the United States spend in total?
Between January 24, 2022 and June 30, 2025, the United States spent a total of US$130.6 billion (£98.9 billion) According to the Kiel InstituteThis is a German-based think tank that tracks international support for Ukraine.
The U.S. Department of Defense provides its own figures, focusing on all spending on Operation Atlantic – Response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It says $184.8 billion has been “appropriated” – Figures covering European military training and replenishing U.S. defense stocks.
The total is only until March 31, 2025, making its latest and latest time much less than the Kiel Institute’s calculations, although especially high.
The BBC Verification has asked the U.S. Department of Defense and declared whether they can provide the latest data.
What did Trump claim before?
Back in February, Trump claimed that when he presided over French President Macron:
“We spent over $30 billion and Europe spent about $10 billion – that’s a big difference”
Getty ImagesThe BBC verification reviewed the claim at that time. Conclusion: Trump’s numbers don’t add up As published figures (digits from Keel and the U.S. government) show, spending in the U.S. is less than $30 billion.
Still so for six months.
How do we spend compared to Europe?
Indeed, the United States is Ukraine’s largest single donor. But European mergers cost more than the United States, according to the Keel Institute.
According to the Kiel Institute’s calculations, between January 2022 and the end of June 2025, Europe spent $165.7 billion in Ukraine, compared with $130.6 billion in the United States during the same period.
The figure includes assistance directly from the EU (EU), but also from bilateral transactions from European countries inside and outside the EU. It includes military, financial and humanitarian assistance.
Will Europe get back money when the United States doesn’t have it?
Trump has previously claimed that Europe will take its money back because it is “lending” to Ukraine.
This prompted Macron – then the next U.S. president – to step in, saying both Europe and the United States gave grants and loans.
President Macron is right, according to Kiel’s data on financial aid. But the Institute’s figures also suggest that President Trump has a point that the United States has sent more grants, while the European Union has sent more loans.
But again, there are different numbers there.
As of July 18 EU says its members have provided about $180 billion so farloans account for 35% of the total.
Like the U.S. Department of Defense, what the EU is helpful to Ukraine is a broader definition.
EU loans will be in a generous way – therefore, Ukraine will repay less interest than usual. In some cases, Ukraine is not expected to pay any fees to restore income from frozen Russian assets.
What we can say is that aid to Ukraine has always been A mix of loans and grants.
How much does the UK give to Ukraine
The UK is one of Ukraine’s largest state donors – the latest is a $2.8 billion (£2.3 billion) loan agreement signed during Zelensky’s March 1 visit to London.
At the end of July, The UK government has pledged US$29.5 billion (£21.8 billion) for Ukraine. This includes US$17.6 billion (£13 billion) of military support.
According to Kiel Data, the only countries that spend more are the United States and Germany.
However, the UK contributes much smaller than the US
This raises the question for the UK and other European countries: if peace is not received in the near future and the United States decides to withdraw most of its funds, can other states constitute a difference?
This will require a substantial increase in its current contribution.
Other reports: Thomas Spencer, Kristen Jevas and Daniel Wainwright
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