European states have significantly increased funding for unmanned systems for the Ukrainian Defense Forces, directing about €1.6 billion in this direction from January to April 2026. This is based on data from the Ukraine Support Tracker study by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
“European donors are now entering the financing and production of drones on a large scale. As a result, support for Ukraine is increasingly becoming a two-way exchange: financial assistance flows to Ukraine. In contrast, technological dividends flow back to Europe,” said Christoph Trebesch, head of the Ukraine Support Tracker.
The institute emphasized that the importance of drones in European military assistance has grown significantly in recent years. The growth in assistance in this area was particularly noticeable in March and April of this year. In particular, the United Kingdom announced the transfer of at least 120,000 drones, the largest one-time batch to date. At the same time, Germany and Norway have allocated approximately 500 million euros each for the purchase of UAVs, and the Netherlands has allocated about 250 million euros in this direction. It is reported that large donors such as Germany and the Netherlands are increasingly allocating funds for drones in collaboration with Ukrainian defense companies.
