European taxpayers must allocate more funds for Ukraine Finnish minister says

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen has said that citizens of European countries may need to find additional funding in their budgets to assist Kyiv if the situation in Ukraine deteriorates and the US fails to render support.

"If the situation becomes complicated, Europe will have to take responsibility. This means that European taxpayers will need to find more money to support Ukraine," Häkkänen said during the opening ceremony of national defence courses, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

The minister also noted that at present, there is no indication that Washington will withdraw its support for Kyiv.

Canada, a strong supporter of Kyiv on the international stage, also announced the donation of 80,840 surplus small unarmed air-to-surface rockets to Ukraine, along with 1,300 warheads. 

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Canada has committed C$4.5 billion in military aid. Since the beginning of 2022, Canada has committed $4.5 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. This funding will allow Canada to deliver military assistance to Ukraine through to 2029.

Germany is the second-biggest arms supplier to Ukraine after the US.  To date, it has allocated approximately 28 billion euros ($30 billion) for military support and committed to future expenditures.

According to the 2025 budget agreement, Germany will provide 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion) in military support to Ukraine, which is half of what was allocated in 2024. Russian authorities have repeatedly asserted that the influx of weapons to Ukraine will not diminish Russia's resolve or change the course of the special military operation.

By Naila Huseynova