PARIS: Military aid for Ukraine plummeted in the second half of 2025 as falling European contributions failed to make up for the halt in US support, data from the Kiel Institute showed Wednesday.
As US President Donald Trump wound down US contributions at the beginning of the year, Europe stepped up with record pledges of almost €20 billion ($23 billion) between March and June, more than offsetting the overall shortfall.
But Europe was only able to muster fewer than €8 billion between July and October, meaning Ukraine overall received the second-lowest amount for a four-month period since Russia’s 2022 invasion began.
The overall total for the first 10 months of 2025 stands at €32.5 billion, meaning an additional €9.1 billion would be needed by the end of the year to maintain the €41.6 billion annual average from 2022 to 2024.
Ukraine’s allies would need to send another €5.1 billion before the end of the year to avoid the current-record annual low of €37.6 billion, set in 2022.
“Based on the data available through October, Europe has not been able to sustain the momentum of the first half of 2025,” said Professor Christoph Trebesch, head of Kiel’s Ukraine Support Tracker.
“If this slower pace continues in the remaining months, 2025 will become the year with the lowest level of new aid allocations ever for Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in 2022,” he added.
The United States contributed, on average, €21.4 billion to the €41.6 billion annual mean for 2022-2024, highlighting the scale of the task for Europe and other allies in filling the gap.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom increased their allocations substantially this year.
But Europe’s leaders are looking for ways to fund a loan to Kyiv that, under current proposals, would be paid back by any eventual Russian reparations to Ukraine.
The EU on Wednesday laid out a plan to use frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraine with €90 billion over the next two years.
Belgium, home to international deposit organization Euroclear — which holds most of the Russian assets — has so far rejected the plan because of the potential legal repercussions.
Ukraine faces military aid shortfall as Europe struggles to plug US gap
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Ukraine faces military aid shortfall as Europe struggles to plug US gap
- The United States contributed, on average, €21.4 billion to the €41.6 billion annual mean for 2022-2024
- France, Germany and the United Kingdom increased their allocations substantially this year
94 million need cataract surgery, but access lacking: WHO
- Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision
GENEVA: More than 94 million people suffer from cataracts, but half of them do not have access to the surgery needed to fix it, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
Cataracts — the clouding of the eye’s lens that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness — are on the rise as populations get older, with age being the main risk factor.
“Cataract surgery — a simple, 15-minute procedure — is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight,” the WHO said.
It is one of the most frequently performed surgeries undertaken in high-income countries.
However, “half of the world’s population in need of cataract surgery don’t have access to it,” said Stuart Keel, the UN health agency’s technical lead for eye care.
The situation is worst in the WHO’s Africa region, where three in four people needing cataract surgery remain untreated.
In Kenya, at the current rate, 77 percent of people needing cataract surgery are likely to die with their cataract blindness or vision impairment, said Keel.
Across all regions, women consistently experience lower access to care than men.
Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision.
- 2030 vision -
The WHO said that over the past two decades, global cataract surgery coverage had increased by 15 percent.
In 2021, WHO member states set a target of a 30-percent increase by 2030.
However, current modelling predicts that cataract surgery coverage will rise by only about 8.4 percent this decade.
To close the gap, the WHO urged countries to integrate eye examinations into primary health care and invest in the required surgical equipment.
States should also expand the eye-care workforce, training surgeons in a standardised manner and then distributing them throughout the country, notably outside major cities.
The WHO was on Wednesday launching new guidance for countries on how to provide quality cataract surgery services.
It will also issue guidance to help support workforce development.
Keel said the main issue was capacity and financing.
“We do need money invested to get rid of this backlog, which is nearly 100 million people,” he told a press conference.
While age is the primary risk factor for cataracts, others include prolonged UV-B light exposure, tobacco use, prolonged corticosteroid use and diabetes.
Keel urged people to keep up regular eye checks as they get older, with most problems able to be either prevented or diagnosed and treated.
The cost of the new lens that goes inside the eye can be under $100.
However, out-of-pocket costs can be higher when not covered by health insurance.
“Cataract surgery is one of the most powerful tools we have to restore vision and transform lives,” said Devora Kestel, head of the WHO’s noncommunicable diseases and mental health department.
“When people regain their sight, they regain independence, dignity, and opportunity.”
