Europe shifts Ukraine aid toward drones and air defense
Ukrainian service members launch a drone (photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)
Military aid to Ukraine remains consistently high, with the main focus shifting toward drones. At the same time, financial and humanitarian assistance declined significantly during the first four months of 2026, according to a report by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
The study notes that in March and April 2026, Germany allocated €4.2 billion in military aid, mainly for air defense and drones. The United Kingdom allocated €1.3 billion, while Norway provided another €600 million.
The largest financial assistance package came not from Europe but from Japan, which allocated €1.1 billion under the second tranche of the ERA loan mechanism backed by proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
More money for weapons, less for humanitarian aid
The new data points to a growing gap between military and non-military support. Between January and April 2026, European military allocations averaged €2 billion per month in real terms, which was still below the 2025 level (€2.4 billion per month) but significantly above the levels recorded in 2022–2024.
In contrast, financial and humanitarian aid declined sharply. During the same period, Europe allocated an average of €500 million per month in real terms, less than one-fifth of the 2025 average.
The chart clearly shows how the level of assistance from the United States and Europe has changed (photo: Kiel Institute)
"Europe has sustained the momentum of its elevated military support for Ukraine in 2026," said Christoph Trebesch, head of the Ukraine Support Tracker. "At the same time, financial and humanitarian aid allocations collapsed — mainly because the EUR 90 billion EU loan had been blocked for months before being formally approved in April. The key question now is how quickly European commitments will actually translate into new aid allocations."
A major focus on drones
Researchers note that March and April 2026 saw a sharp increase in drone-related funding. The United Kingdom allocated at least 120,000 drones, the largest assistance package ever provided through a single allocation. Germany and Norway each allocated approximately €500 million for drone procurement, while the Netherlands allocated about €250 million.
The importance of drones in European military assistance has increased significantly in just a few years. In real terms, confirmed bilateral military aid allocated to drones rose from €400 million in 2022 to €1 billion in 2024 and €1.2 billion in 2025, before surging to approximately €1.6 billion in just the first four months of 2026.
These figures include only funding that can be clearly attributed to European donors. Therefore, the actual amount is likely even higher, the researchers say.
"European donors are now entering drone financing and production on a large scale," Trebesch said. "As a result, support for Ukraine is increasingly becoming a two-way exchange: financial aid flows to Ukraine, while technological spillovers flow back to Europe."
What else is known about aid to Ukraine
NATO is currently discussing a proposal to provide Ukraine with €70 billion in military aid. In addition to funding, the proposal would include a new mechanism to more transparently track contributions.
Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, Alyona Getmanchuk, recently said that difficult discussions are ongoing within the alliance regarding future support for Ukraine, while some countries oppose fixed contributions to assist Kyiv.
