Europe’s ability to maintain financial and military support for Ukraine in the event of a US withdrawal is in question, senior EU diplomat Josep Borrell noted on October 5. During the European Political Community Summit in Granada, Spain, he expressed that Ukraine urgently needs US support and that European hopes are pinned on continued US aid. “Europe certainly cannot replace the USA,” said Borrell when asked by a journalist.

After a heated internal political dispute over funding laws in the USA, including funds for military support to Ukraine, there is uncertainty about the continuation of previous support.

American financial injection

As of January 2021, the United States had, according to “The Kyiv Independent“ committed an impressive $44.5 billion to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In particular, since the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, over 43.9 billion US dollars have flowed. Borrell emphasized that although the EU plans to expand its support for Ukraine, Europe “certainly” cannot replace this level of US aid.

Meeting of the heads of state

The third summit of the European Political Community, which is attended by around 50 heads of state and government from all over Europe, will focus, among other things, on discussing common security issues and promoting political dialogue. Volodymyr Zelenskyj, President of Ukraine, was one of the prominent representatives at the event. This meeting joins a series of summits that have been held in the past in places such as Bulboaca, Moldova, and Prague, Czech Republic.