111 - Who is Truly Helping Ukraine Defend Itself?
Obviously, United States’ support for Ukraine’s battle against Putin’s Russian onslaught outstrips that of Europe collectively or of any individual country. But as a percentage of GDP -- a very appropriate measure of backing for Ukraine and for the essential freedom of humankind -- the United States does not rank high. Thus, those who say we are doing too much or more than our fair share and threaten to reverse the Biden administration’s increasingly steadfast commitments to Ukraine need to think again.
In terms of total combined military, humanitarian, and financial assistance, the U. S. had indeed been generous. Our total support so far amounts to more than 50 billion euros (now roughly equivalent to $50 billion). As a whole, Europe’s aid (even including the costs of receiving, housing, and feeding refugees) adds up only to about 35 billion euros.
Germany’s total contribution is about 10 billion euros, Poland’s roughly 8 billion, the United Kingdom 7 billion, France 5 billion, Italy 3 billion, Spain 2 billion, and the Netherlands 1 billion. Smaller but still significant help has come from the Czech Republic, Norway, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, and Denmark – in that order.
Although Germany has been much criticized in the press and diplomatic circles for refusing to do as much as it should do, and for being unwilling to give Ukraine Leopard tanks and more than a few howitzers, the charts in this week’s Economist that show each nation’s contributions to the Ukrainian war effort in euros indicate that in Europe Germany has been playing a statistically sizable role in the battle against Putin. Germany’s titular President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also made a symbolically significant visit to Kyiv this week, promising that Germany would do more.
The gross assistance amounts tell us less about which countries are truly sacrificing to help Ukraine weather the Russian storm than does another Economist chart that shows assistance totals as percentages of GDP. At the very top of that list is Estonia, once a Soviet captive; it has already given Ukraine the equivalent of nearly 1 percent of national GDP, mostly in military equipment. Its total swells to 1.5 percent of GDP if refugee costs are included.
Poland, hardly surprisingly given its proximity, is the second most generous donor to Ukraine; military aid is about 0.3 percent, humanitarian assistance brings Poland’s contributions to 0.5 percent and, with refugee costs included, Poland’s total is about 1.4 percent of GDP. Latvia has been almost as generous as Poland, giving as much military help as Estonia, but shouldering slightly fewer refugee costs. Lithuania, a third former Soviet satellite and Baltic neighbor, has given more military aid to Ukraine than Poland but borne fewer refugee costs than its neighbors. Its total contribution is just under 1 percent of national GDP.
The smaller nations are clearly doing their fair share by the measuring stick of GDP. So are the Czech Republic and Slovakia, next on the GDP chart at 0.75 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. Norway, Bulgaria, and Austria follow, all having spent on Ukraine’s war effort and on refugees roughly 0.3 percent of GDP.
But where are the big players? Not at the top of the GDP list, by any stretch. The UK and Germany both have contributed about 0.35 percent of GDP to Ukraine. (Note that Hungary, Croatia, Romania, and Slovenia are not mentioned in the charts, nor in the report from Germany’s Kiel Institute on which their numbers are based.)
The United States follows with almost the same GDP percentage as the UK and Germany, ahead only of Italy and France. President Emmanuel Macron this week promised to do much more for Ukraine. Last week he started delivering anti-aircraft systems, special howitzers, multiple-launch rocket systems, radar equipment and more, joining American efforts and attempting to embarrass Germany to do as much or even more. A supporter of Macron made it clear in parliament that Ukrainians “every day…are dying for freedom in Europe.” France must, he said, “live up to their sacrifice.”
Given the US’s great wealth, we could (and doubtless will) do much more so long as President Biden’s efforts are not impeded by Republicans. Certainly, we have not been and should not be constrained going forward by any lack of funds or scarcity of available equipment (despite all of our other commitments to Asian and Western Hemispheric defense) to what has urgently become an existential struggle for freedom from dictatorship, wanton cruelty, narcissistic predation, and the fundamental civil liberties of humankind. The French parliamentarian said it well and his words should continue to motivate us as well as the Europeans. Ukraine’s struggle is our struggle; Putin is as much a large and devastating threat to us as he is to Ukraine.