MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2023) Western aid pledges to Ukraine tilted toward military supplies in the spring, but actual deliveries fell far behind commitments, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy estimated.
The think tank's Ukraine Support Tracker shows that the value of all recorded commitments rose by 13 billion Euros ($14.2 billion) to 165 billion euros from February 25 to May 31, with almost 9 billion earmarked for military aid alone.
While Western military and financial aid to Kiev was fairly balanced between February and November 2022, the share of military aid among new commitments began to rise steadily in the fall. Over half of new pledges in early 2023 catered to Ukraine's military needs, rising to over 70% in April and May.
Despite the focus on military commitments, actual deliveries have been well below pledges, the institute estimated. Only slightly more than half of the promised heavy weapons have been delivered, it said. The United States, Germany and the United Kingdom have delivered far less than promised.
"Military pledges gain in importance with the duration of the war and Ukraine's offensive plans. But the gap between promised and delivered military aid is wide. This is especially true for EU countries and the United States," Kiel Institute's director of research Christoph Trebesch said.
Ukraine's much-touted counteroffensive kicked off in early June after months of delays over a lack of military supplies from Western donors. After encountering stiff Russian resistance, Ukrainian commanders largely held off sending Western tanks into battle, focusing instead on targeted strikes.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday that Russian armed forces had destroyed 920 Ukrainian armored vehicles, including 16 Leopard tanks, in Donbas and Zaporizhzhia regions in June.
