Of the €9 billion support package promised by Brussels in May, only one billion has been paid. The United States paid $4.5 billion in financial aid to Ukraine between early August and early October. This is said researcher Christoph Trebisch of the Institute for Weltwirtschaft (IFW) in Kiel.

IFW is tracking the leading Ukraine support tracker, the latest figures of which will be published on Tuesday. While the Americans provide by far the most military aid, the European Union and its member states have pledged more budget support to the Ukrainian government: nearly 16 billion euros, of which 12.3 billion will come from the European Union. The United States pledged about $15 billion.

Americans seem to be paying faster. They disbursed 57 percent of the promised aid, while the European Union transferred only 29 percent.

Just last week, Ukraine complained about the slow pace at which the European Union is meeting its commitments. The Ukrainian economy collapsed due to the war. This is why the government depends on foreign aid to keep the public sector afloat. Our finance minister is under great pressure because he has to send money to the military, to the pension funds. “A delay of one or two weeks is simply unacceptable,” Oleg Ustenko, President Zelensky’s economic adviser, told the news site last week. Politico.

Researcher Trebisch says that the fact that the EU paid only 1 billion of the promised 9 billion shows a “lack of political will”. Tens of billions were spent during the Corona crisis. There is less resolve among Europeans than among Americans.

In its response, the European Commission said the remaining funds would come soon. In mid-October, $2 billion will be transferred, shortly after $3 billion. The terms of disbursement of the last $3 billion of the aid package are still being negotiated by member states. She says UNHCR “has the ambition” to pay the money this year. According to Brussels sources, the commission is also working on a new scheme, which would guarantee the Ukrainian government a predictable amount per month in the next year.

Among the EU member states, Poland provides the largest military aid to Ukraine (1.8 billion euros), followed by Germany (1.2 billion). The low score for France (200 million), the most powerful member of the European Union militarily, is striking. After the informal EU summit in Prague, President Macron announced the creation of a €100 million fund for arms for Ukraine. France will also supply Caesar’s more advanced cannons. Military support from EU member states lags far behind that of the UK (3.7 billion) and especially the US (27.6 billion).

Expressed as a percentage of GDP, Latvia is the largest effort with 1 percent of GDP. The United States is at 0.25 percent, the Netherlands is at 0.19 percent and Germany is at 0.17 percent, according to the International Federation of Women.