Arming Ukraine: A closer look at US military aid since 2021

By Rachel Wilson and Soph Warnes, CNN

(CNN) — The United States and Ukraine have reached an agreement to resume US military aid, along with resuming intelligence sharing, the two countries said Tuesday. Ukraine also agreed to a proposed ceasefire in its war with Russia. President Donald Trump had recently halted all future shipments of military aid.

As shipments could begin again soon, CNN looks at what exactly was in the military aid sent by the United States so far, how much was sent and how a resumption could impact Ukraine’s war efforts.

The US has given $69 billion in military aid

The US is the largest single donor to the war-torn nation, sending at least $123 billion in total aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Military aid made up $69 billion of that, or 56% of the US total, according to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank that closely tracks wartime aid to Ukraine.

Ukraine has expanded its domestic production of military equipment including the manufacturing of drones and artillery munitions. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said recently it now produces more than 30% of the equipment and ammunition needed to defend itself.

Zelensky has stated that military supplies from the US cover about 40% of its defense needs, with other — mostly European — allies making up the other approximately 30%.

Europe had rallied behind Ukraine in the days following the disastrous Oval Office meeting, pledging to strengthen its support for Kyiv as US foreign policy shifts away.

What the military assets are

Among the specific equipment sent from the US to Ukraine are air defense systems, drones, rocket launchers, radars, tanks and anti-armor weapons.

The US has been supplying Ukraine with military equipment under the Presidential Drawdown Authority since August 2021 in response to Russia preparing to launch its full-scale invasion. The mechanism allows the president to draw equipment for Ukraine directly from US stocks.

The US has used this method on 55 occasions to provide about $31.7 billion worth of military assistance for Ukraine, according to a report from the State Department.

Stopping the flow of this aid would have been disastrous for Ukraine, with one Ukrainian official warning that the country could have run out of vital artillery shells by May or June.

While the EU intended help fill some gaps, there are some things only the US can provide, for example the Patriot air defense system, which has proven uniquely effective in countering Russian ballistic missiles. The US controls the licensing and the production of that system and its missiles.

The US beats out Europe on supplying heavy weapons

As Ukraine’s top military aid donor, the US has sent the most howitzers (a type of artillery weapon), anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile systems and multiple launch rocket systems. Meanwhile, Poland has supplied and pledged the most tanks, Kiel Institute data shows.

Here’s the status of delivered and pending shipments as of the end of 2024:

It would have been extremely difficult for Ukraine’s European allies to fill the United States’ shoes. In 2023, overall military expenditures for the 27 EU member states and the United Kingdom totaled around $388 billion, whereas the US spent $916 billion, or about two times as much. The US also allocated 9% of government spending to defense, which was the highest among NATO countries, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

CNN’s Ivana Kottasová and Nick Paton Walsh contributed reporting. This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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