Four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the balance of international support for Kyiv has shifted significantly. European countries have effectively replaced the United States as the main source of military, financial, and humanitarian aid, Axios reports, citing data from the Kiel Institute, which tracks support for Ukraine.
By the end of 2025, European states had increased military aid to Ukraine by 67%, and financial and humanitarian support by 59%. At the same time, aid from the United States had effectively stopped last year. US President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House, insisted that Europe should shoulder the main financial burden of the war on its continent. His administration has forced NATO allies to buy American weapons and finance Ukraine's defense on their own.
European leaders are increasingly asserting their right to participate in shaping future agreements to end the war. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stressed that European countries are spending “real money,” while the United States is actually making profits from arms sales. This, he said, gives Europe a say in the negotiations and the terms of peace.
A similar position was expressed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during his speech at the Munich Security Conference. He emphasized that the European Union and Germany in particular have been key military donors to Ukraine for over a year. According to estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in 2025 the volume of European support exceeded that of the United States. At the same time, the losses of Russian troops, according to estimates, reached approximately 415 thousand people.
Merz noted that the losses inflicted on Moscow and the economic pressure could be one of the factors that would eventually force the Kremlin to agree to peace. At the same time, he was skeptical about the prospects for a quick diplomatic settlement, saying that Russia would end the war only when it exhausted its military or economic resources.
Despite Europe's growing role, journalists emphasize that American intelligence, sanctions monitoring mechanisms, and arms sales remain critical to Ukraine's defense. However, the White House has so far shown no desire to formally involve Europe in the negotiation process, considering the more rigid stance of European leaders an obstacle to achieving peace quickly.
The Trump administration even accuses Europe of prolonging the war, claiming that it is pushing Kyiv towards tougher terms of the deal while continuing to purchase Russian energy.
The recent two-day talks in Geneva on ending the war ended inconclusively, although the White House called them constructive. The situation around Ukraine, as Axios emphasizes, has become the second major shock to European security since the Russian invasion itself. Trump’s return to power has led to a profound redistribution of roles and responsibilities between the United States and Europe in matters of support for Kyiv.
Thus, in 2025, Europe not only increased defense funding for Ukraine, but also claimed a key role in determining the future security architecture on the continent.
