Recent decisions by Ukraine’s partners may create the impression that financial and military support for Ukraine is declining. In reality, a different process is underway: aid is not disappearing, but shifting from large one-off packages toward systematic, long-term defense financing.
For Ukraine, this is critical. The additional defense funding requirement is estimated at approximately $27 billion. Without external resources, maintaining the current intensity of the war against russia would be extremely difficult.
In February, partners at the Ramstein meeting confirmed approximately $38 billion in support for 2026. Germany announced €11.5 billion, Norway around $7 billion, the United Kingdom £3 billion, Sweden €3.7 billion, and Denmark around $2 billion.
At the same time, the EU created a €90 billion support mechanism for Ukraine for 2026–2027, with around €60 billion allocated to the military component.
The role of the United States is also changing. European allies are increasingly financing the procurement of US weapons for Ukraine through PURL. According to NATO, more than $10 billion has already been directed through PURL and related US mechanisms.
The latest Ramstein meeting clearly demonstrated the new model. The United Kingdom is allocating £100 million for US weapons and plans to provide an additional 95,000 drones. The Netherlands is providing $300 million for the Drone Line, Norway $200 million for Patriot, and Poland is preparing a €50 million package. Germany is supplying additional air defense missiles.
But the problem of speed remains. Money still has to be converted into missiles, drones, ammunition and air defense systems. Delayed funding means delayed contracts, which directly affects the battlefield.
Therefore, it is premature to say that support for Ukraine is ending.
What is happening is a restructuring of that support. The emergency assistance of the first years of the war is gradually evolving into a multi-year system for financing Ukraine’s defense. Europe is taking on a larger share of the financial burden, the United States remains a critical supplier of high-tech weapons, and Ukraine is becoming increasingly integrated into the European defense industry.
These are no longer simply another series of “aid packages.” A mechanism is being built to sustain Ukraine’s ability to fight for years.
And this is where the main risk lies: any serious disruption of this mechanism will directly affect the resilience of Ukraine’s defense.
Financing has become another front in this war.