Donald Trump has claimed the US has given more to Ukraine than the UK and Europe – but now new analysis shows this to be untrue, as Europe has outmatched America’s aid
Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed the US has given more aid to Ukraine than the UK and Europe. But a new analysis of the military kit sent to Ukraine shows that Europe has outmatched the US in every category, from tanks to missile batteries.
The US president has been vociferous in his belief that Western allies are not pulling their weight in NATO and generally protecting themselves against common enemies. But research by Oryx, a Dutch website providing defence analysis, has given evidence to contradict Trump’s claims as he attempts to bring peace to Ukraine by getting Putin to agree to a ceasefire.
The new report shows the US has donated just 32 fighting tanks, compared with Europe’s 887; 18 self-propelled artillery guns as opposed to Europe’s 772, and 40 multiple rocket launchers – while Europe has given almost twice the number, at 78.
Britain’s contribution stands at £12.8billion in aid, with a commitment for a further £3billion a year ‘for as long as it takes”. In terms of kit, the UK was the first country to offer Ukraine long range missiles as well as Main Battle Tanks. It has so far delivered 400 different types of military capabilities, including the recent delivery of the first 100 out of 650 Lightweight Multirole Missiles.
There are some grey areas in this analysis, as while it states, correctly, that the US has offered no fighter jets directly, former President Joe Biden reluctantly gave permission for European capitals to donate US-made F-16 fighter jets.
Trump has already been called out on claims that the US gifted Ukraine $350 billion (£270 billion) worth of aid. “We’ve spent more than $350 billion, and Europe has spent about $100 billion. That’s a big difference,” he said in February during a visit with French President Emmanuel Macron.
In fact, the US Congress has appropriated half that figure since 2022 – $174 billion (£134 billion) – of which much was spent purchasing US equipment. The US does, however, possess many unique capabilities which are essential to Ukraine’s defence.
Trump’s decision recently to temporarily stop intelligence-sharing with Ukraine is said to have been acutely felt in front lines positions such as Kursk, where Russian forces subsequently rallied. That capability was restored by the US when Zelensky agreed to the 30-day ceasefire last week.
This comes after one expert said Putin is “laughing his backside off” at Trump after scoring “game, set and match” with his “blank cheque peace deal”. While Putin may have vowed to stop pummelling Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Trump failed to execute his plan to end the war after the lengthy phone call.
What Trump and Ukraine had wanted was a complete halt to the conflict for 30 days, but what they gave Putin was a “blank cheque” which will gift the warlord everything he wanted on a silver platter. Defence and security expert Anthony Glees explained how Putin will be giddy and howling after hoodwinking the self-appointed “best deal-maker in the world”.
