Unfriendly fire: how reliant is Ukraine on US weapons?

After Friday’s fiery Oval Office clash, White House officials have signalled that US aid to Ukraine could be cancelled immediately. It is a Ukrainian concern that has been simmering for months but one Kyiv hoped it could allay with diplomacy. That concern has now become a serious possibility.

- TOM WATLING

In the aftermath of the unprecedented spat in front of the cameras, a Trump administration official said they were considering cancelling all help, including the final shipments of ammunition and equipment authorised and paid for during Joe Biden’s tenure.

Below, we look at just how consequential that could be – and what weapons the US has been sending to Ukraine.

What are the figures?

Almost half of the £103bn in military support sent to Ukraine by its allies has come from the US, according to estimates by the Kiel Institute. That figure is a little over £51bn. The second and third largest military supporters are Germany and the UK, who have sent £10bn and £8bn respectively.

If you calculate total military spending as a percentage of each country’s GDP, however, the US is much lower down the list of Ukraine’s backers. Its total support amounts to 0.296 per cent of its GDP, making it the 17th most significant military backer proportionate to GDP.

Denmark is Ukraine’s most significant military supporter measured against its GDP. It has sent around 2.038 per cent. The next four, in order, are Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Finland. These four countries all share a border with mainland Russia or its exclave Kaliningrad.

But if Ukraine lost the material heft of US support, it could prove devastating. This is why Mr Zelensky has been adamant that US security guarantees as part of a peace deal are the only means of preventing future Russian aggression. Europe’s support alone, he maintains, would not be sufficient.