US Vice President JD Vance has said that Washington has stopped financing Ukraine’s war effort, signalling a shift in policy under President Donald Trump towards pushing European allies to take greater responsibility in supporting Kyiv.

“I think Trump believes that the US has had enough of funding the war in Ukraine. We want to achieve a peaceful resolution. But if Europe wants to buy weapons from us, that's fine with us,” Vance told Fox News.

He said the administration had told European partners that the war was taking place “on your doorstep, right under your noses,” and that they should take a bigger role in addressing Russia’s invasion.

“I think the president and I certainly believe that America is done with funding the military business in Ukraine,” Vance said, while stressing that the White House remained committed to ending the conflict. “We want to stop the killing. But Americans, I think, are tired of sending their money, their tax dollars, to this conflict.”

The US already stopped funding Ukraine last year when it ran out of money for Ukraine at the start of that year. Funding was eventually resumed with a $61bn aid package that was approved on April 20 when it looked like Ukraine might be defeated by Russia. Like now, Ukraine ran out of air defence missiles last spring and following a massive barrage in March, Russia went on to destroy most of Ukraine’s non-nuclear power infrastructure.

This year has played out in a similar fashion. Since US President Donald Trump took over in January, US funding has fallen off to next to nothing and the EU has taken up the bulk of the financial burden. This year Russia has again launched a devastating missile barrage in May and is now firing about four times more drones and missiles at Ukraine than at the start of this year.

Brussels said on August 10 it will provide Kyiv with over €3.2bn through the Ukraine Facility. The EU Council has approved the fourth tranche for Ukraine in 2025 under this facility, which will see Kyiv receiving more than €3.2bn in funding. The funds will be allocated to strengthen macroeconomic stability and support the operation of the public administration system.

The vice president added that Washington would work to secure a negotiated settlement between Moscow and Kyiv. “We will try to find some kind of agreed-upon solution that both Ukrainians and Russians can live with, even though neither side will be satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations,” he said.

The comments come as European leaders debate how to respond to a reduction in US military assistance, which has been a central pillar of Ukraine’s defence since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. According to Nato figures, the US provided more than $70bn in military and financial aid to Ukraine during President Joe Biden’s term.

While the Trump administration has said it will continue to sell arms to European allies, the end of direct US funding is expected to put greater pressure on Nato members to boost their defence budgets and accelerate deliveries of equipment to Ukraine.

Ukraine needs $6bn for arms next year

Ukraine requires $6bn in funding this year to guarantee domestic weapons production in 2025, Deputy Minister of Defence Serhiy Boev said following talks with senior European Union officials in Kyiv on August 10.

Boev met Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Gediminas Navitskas to discuss financing for the defence-industrial complex in 2025 and 2026. He said that in order to meet planned weapons output by early 2026, funding commitments must be made in 2024.

The discussions focused on production of FPV drones, long-range strike systems and interceptor drones, as well as broader security assistance needs for 2026. Boev warned that, despite diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and international pressure on Moscow, “the aggressor continues to terrorise Ukraine and increase weapons manufacturing.” He added: “Ukraine must boost its readiness and strengthen partnerships with its allies.”

The meeting also reviewed next steps under the SAFE initiative, which is designed to integrate Ukraine into the European defence-industrial complex.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said that Ukraine’s weapons manufacturing potential has exceeded $35bn, encompassing 1,000 types of products including artillery systems, armoured vehicles, advanced drones and missiles.

Boev emphasised that timely funding was essential to sustaining production levels and enabling Ukraine to counter Russia’s continued military build-up.