Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, Italy has always shown its support for Kiev, as has the entire European Union. An assistance carried out over time with military and civil aid amounting to tens of billions of euros, to which must also be added the costs for internal hospitality. In recent weeks the topic has returned to the center of the debate also due to the words of the leader of the 5 Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, who asked for a stop to the sending of weapons, and of the deputy prime minister and transport minister Matteo Salvini, who spoke of “distortion” in reference to Kiev’s attacks on Russian refineries, which then have repercussions on energy costs.
Aid directed to Kiev
But how much have we actually spent since the conflict began? To calculate the outlay it is necessary to combine different assistance “channels”. The pillar of Italian support, as confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is the so-called bilateral channel, direct aid from State to State. From the beginning of the conflict to today, Italy has sent aid to Kiev amounting to around 5 billion euros. Of these, 3 billion are linked to war support, funds disbursed through a series of twelve interministerial decrees, most recently extended until 2027 thanks to the conversion law of decree 201/2025.
A sum to be spread over the more than four years of conflict, which financed the shipment of ammunition, armored vehicles, front-line equipment and high-tech air defense systems, among which the three expensive Samp/T anti-missile batteries developed with France stand out. The remaining 2 billion euros of the bilateral axis were allocated by the Farnesina for civil and humanitarian interventions, such as emergency funding for the repair of the Ukrainian electricity grid, the sending of medical convoys and financial subsidies for maintaining the Ukrainian state budget.
The EU share
To the direct disbursement, another, even more impressive, slice must be added, which is spent through the European Union. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Brussels has mobilized over 220 billion euros. A macro intervention that also includes the 90 billion euro joint loan plan approved by the EU Council to finance Kiev’s defense and budget in the two-year period 2026-2027, and the new 3.3 billion tranche for the purchase of drones and missiles. Italy, being the third largest economy in the eurozone, finances the community budget with a fixed share of around 12%-13%.
Ukrainian refugees
A separate chapter concerns the costs of managing Ukrainian refugees in Italy. Our country, according to data updated to January 2026, hosts 62 thousand Ukrainian refugees with temporary protection. To finance the reception machine, guarantee health coverage, provide monthly subsidies for families and support the school inclusion of minors, the estimated expenditure is between 600 and 700 million euros per year, largely disbursed through civil protection, the budgets of individual municipalities and funds from the Ministry of the Interior. Prudential estimates and constantly evolving numbers, which represent an increasingly higher “bill”.