Does Ireland trade with Russia, and how much has it given Ukraine?
Ireland's support for Ukraine since 2022: €7.5bn (1.4% of one year's GDP: its aid, its EU share, refugee hosting, private donations and its other parts of support, net of money flowing back). Russia kept €1.4bn (0.25% of GDP) less than without the war; Russia also lost €0.65bn of return on reserves frozen there. The net is 1.8% of a year's GDP toward Ukraine (likely 1.4% to 2.3% toward Ukraine; very likely · >99%).
Supported Ukraine + cut Russia's earnings from trade + froze Russian money = 1.8% of GDP toward Ukraine. Mostly support for Ukraine. Most of what Russia kept less was required by EU sanctions it agreed to.
Chance toward Ukraine: >99%; 100% of the other method choices agree.
Support for Ukraine
Supported Ukraine with
1.4%
€7.5bn
likely 1.1% to 1.7% very likely · >99%
Russia's earnings from trade
Cut Russia's earnings from trade by
0.25%
€1.4bn
likely 0.06% to 0.66% toward Ukraine very likely · 99%
Russia kept €1.4bn (0.25% of GDP) less than without the war.
Russia's gain: Russia kept 0.18% of GDP less (€955m; likely 0.05% to 0.50% toward Ukraine)
Ireland's own gain from trade with Russia: Ireland kept 0.08% of GDP less from its trade with Russia (€410m; likely from 0.05% toward Russia to 0.26% toward Ukraine)
The two lines add up to Russia's earnings from trade; their ranges do not.
Russian money frozen: Froze Russian money: Russia lost 0.12% of GDP in returns (€652m).
Its story in short
Cut through EU sanctions it agreed to Of the €1.1bn less that Russia kept from its trade, about 64% was required by EU sanctions it agreed to as a member (Council Regulation 833/2014), 36% went beyond them.
Bought 94% less from Russia What it bought from Russia, in euros at each year's prices: €561m in 2021, €32m in 2025. Only what Russia kept on it counts in the totals.
Hosts many refugees 119,610 refugees from Ukraine, 22 per 1,000 residents.
Froze Russian money Russian money frozen: 0.12% of a year's GDP (€652m; likely €463m to €772m): the return Russia lost on its central-bank reserves and on Russian private assets frozen here. Not a payment, so it is on its own line, added to the net only.
Two different things added The net adds two different things: help given to Ukraine and the change in what Russia kept from trade. Much of what one country stopped buying, Russia sold to others.
What makes up the number
Supported Ukraine with 1.4% · €7.5bn
Hosting refugeesC
+1.2%
€6.2bn
Its share of EU aidB
+0.18%
€967m
Aid: weapons, money, loansB
+0.10%
€535m
Ireland kept back part of its refugee spendingC
−0.05%
€243m
Private donationsD
+0.02%
€114m
Ireland kept more from extra services sold to UkraineC
−0.01%
€63m
Ireland kept part of aid spent here (energy, rebuilding)D
−<0.01%
€28m
Its share of IMF and World Bank loansC
+<0.01%
€12m
Ukraine kept less from sales hereC
−<0.01%
€2m
Cut Russia's earnings from trade by 0.25% · €1.4bn
Russia kept less from fuel and goods sold hereC
+0.14%
€749m
Ireland kept less from services sold to RussiaC
+0.05%
€281m
Its firms paid Russia less taxD
+0.03%
€181m
Ireland's companies made less profit in RussiaD
+0.03%
€151m
Russia kept more from war-time fuel pricesC
−<0.01%
€49m
Russia kept less from its oil bought via other countriesDown estimate
+<0.01%
€47m
Ireland earned an extra price from Russia because of sanctionsD
−<0.01%
€31m
Russia kept less from services sold hereC
+<0.01%
€26m
Ireland kept less from selling to RussiaC
+<0.01%
€9m
Froze Russian money: Russia lost 0.12% in returns · €652m
Russian owners lost returns on assets frozen hereD
+0.07%
€392m
Russia lost returns on its frozen moneyC
+0.05%
€260m
+ toward Ukraine, − toward Russia (in support for Ukraine, − is money it earned back or bought less from Ukraine than without the war). Letters: A reported, B measured estimate, C modelled estimate, D rough indication.
By year
The year with the largest net amount was 2023: +€2.6bn. Support for Ukraine rose from €1.2bn in 2022 to €1.3bn in 2025.
It bought €0.56bn from Russia in 2021 and €32m in 2025 (−94%). It sold €0.66bn to Russia in 2021 and €0.95bn in 2025 (+43%). Before the war (2018–2021), fuel was 63.1% of what it bought from Russia. For Ireland: €49m paid above no-war prices, most of it in 2022. These are sales values at each year's prices; the totals count what the seller kept on them.
What it bought from Russia, by fuel
Ireland's purchases from Russia, 2022 to August 2026, by fuel: by its own customs records (CIF), on the map's basis (the Russian border price, FOB) and by CREA's tracker (ship data). The map's figure is the total on the map's basis.
Fuel
Customs (CIF)
Map basis (FOB)
Tracker (CREA)
Quality
Oil products
€87m
€80mrange €72m to €87m
€82m
A
Coal
€48m
€45mrange €41m to €49m
€20m
A
Other goods
€0.39bn
€0.37bn
–
All goods
€0.53bn
€0.49bn
–
Quality by year: 2022: A, 2023: A, 2024: A, 2025: A, 2026, January to August: A. C and D are estimates.
Of what Russia kept less from its trade: 64% required by EU sanctions it agreed to as a member, 36% beyond what sanctions required.
Sanctions on Russia
Yes. As an EU member, Ireland applies the EU's sanctions on Russia, which every member agreed to in the Council. It is part of the price cap coalition on Russian oil through the EU. Separately, Russia lists Ireland as an “unfriendly” state (government order 430-r, 5 March 2022): that is Russia's own list of countries it acts against, not a sanction by Ireland. Checked 27 October 2026.
Replacing Russian energy cost it about €0.23bn extra from 2022 (0.04% of one year's GDP). This is not in the totals: shown for information.
Russian money frozen
Russian money frozen: 0.12% of a year's GDP (€652m; likely €463m to €772m): the return Russia lost on its central-bank reserves and on Russian private assets frozen here. Not a payment, so it is on its own line, added to the net only.
Amounts frozen here, for context (the map counts the return Russia lost on them, not the amounts): Bank of Russia reserves immobilised: no public figure; assets of sanctioned people and companies frozen: €1.9bn (7 March 2024, source).
Refugees from Ukraine
119,610 refugees from Ukraine, 22 per 1,000 residents. Refugees counted as of 2026. Counted as support for Ukraine: €6.2bn (1.2% of one year's GDP), the public cost of hosting refugees from 2022, after the host's gain on the work refugees do. For Ireland: €6.4bn spent on refugees, less €213m, its gain on the work refugees did here.
Why this differs from the Kiel tracker
Kiel Institute's figure for its own aid: €639m; counted here: €535m — donated weapons at their market value; loans at their gift value, not their full amount; military aid counted when delivered, by August 2026. Loans, full amount: €1.4bn; Loans, grant equivalent: €0.62bn. Promised but not yet delivered, in the Kiel Institute's figures: €1.6bn. It is not counted here. Military aid allocated but not yet delivered is not counted: €247m (Kiel's full allocation is the high end).
Money flowing back from the war effort
€0.31bn of aid and of Ukraine's purchases was spent in Ireland; what its firms kept of it, €0.33bn, is taken off its support.
Companies, Russia and Russian owners
Its firms paid Russia less tax: €0.18bn (0.03% of one year's GDP). Ireland's companies made less profit in Russia: €0.15bn (0.03% of one year's GDP). Russia took €3.1bn from companies of this country (seizures and forced sales); not in the totals. Likely €1.8bn to €5.5bn; 0.57% of a year's GDP.
Compared with its neighbours and groups
In the map's ranking: number 18 of 32 economies toward Ukraine, as a share of GDP. EU countries: number 15 of 21 members toward Ukraine.
39 sources back its parts: 13 official statistics, 8 research reports, 0 press reports and 4 of this project's own estimates, plus 14 method inputs. By size, 14% of its parts are reported or measured (A–B), 76% modelled (C) and 9% rough indications (D).
Data coverage
Aid to Ukraine: reported Kiel Institute, to 31 Aug 2026, incl. EU share
Private donations: estimated national totals or a GDP-based estimate
Services trade with Russia: estimated Eurostat, OECD-WTO and Bank of Russia data
Refugee hosting: estimated modelled from refugees hosted per year
Bought from Russia: reported reported 2021-2025
Sold to Russia: estimated partner data plus an estimate of goods reaching Russia via third countries
Bought from Ukraine: reported reported 2021-2025
Sold to Ukraine: reported reported 2021-2025
Energy switching cost: estimated modelled per fuel and month
Company taxes in Russia: estimated allocated by company counts and investment
Money flowing back: estimated each euro followed to the economy where it was spent
Ireland's support for Ukraine from 2022 to August 2026: €7.5bn, 1.4% of one year's GDP (likely 1.1% to 1.7%). It counts its aid (weapons at market value when delivered, loans at their gift value), its share of EU aid, its share of IMF and World Bank lending, the cost of hosting refugees, private donations, an estimate of undisclosed military aid and purchases from Ukraine against the no-war level, net of money flowing back.
Is Ireland helping Russia?
In money terms the net is +1.8% of one year's GDP (likely 1.4% to 2.3% toward Ukraine; very likely · >99%). Chance toward Ukraine: >99%; 100% of the other method choices agree. Russia kept €1.4bn (0.25% of GDP) less than without the war. The number counts money: weapons at their money value; votes, diplomacy and intent are not in it.
Did Ireland cut trade with Russia because of sanctions?
Of what Russia kept less from its trade: 64% required by EU sanctions it agreed to as a member, 36% beyond what sanctions required.
How many Ukrainian refugees does Ireland host, and what does it cost?
119,610 refugees from Ukraine, 22 per 1,000 residents. Counted as support for Ukraine: €6.2bn (1.2% of one year's GDP), the public cost of hosting refugees from 2022, after the host's gain on the work refugees do. For Ireland: €6.4bn spent on refugees, less €213m, its gain on the work refugees did here.
Why does War Balance differ from the Kiel tracker for Ireland?
Kiel Institute's figure for its own aid: €639m; counted here: €535m — donated weapons at their market value; loans at their gift value, not their full amount; military aid counted when delivered, by August 2026.
How much did Ireland give Ukraine each year?
Support for Ukraine by year: 2022 €1.2bn; 2023 €2.2bn; 2024 €2bn; 2025 €1.3bn; 2026 (to August) €0.85bn. In total since 2022: €7.5bn (likely 1.1% to 1.7%).
War Balance