Europe is cutting humanitarian aid to poor countries and shifting money to support Ukraine and increase defence budgets. Sweden announced a 10bn kronor (£800m) cut in development aid to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Tanzania, and Bolivia. Germany plans to halve its 2026 humanitarian budget to €1.05bn (£920m), focusing more on crises near Europe. The UK and France are also cutting aid to boost defence spending. Ralf Südhoff, director of Berlin’s Centre for Humanitarian Action, said, "I think we are losing a consensus of solidarity and responsibility which has been established for a while now." He noted Germany is reducing aid to Latin America and Asia while prioritizing Ukraine due to its location. Norway increased aid to Ukraine by 2.5bn kroner (£185m) but cut African aid by 355m kroner (£26m). France will cut aid by €700m in 2026, slashing food aid by 60% but raising defence spending by €6.7bn. Südhoff added, "There’s a misleading belief by European actors that they have to play this game now in the same way as Moscow, Beijing, Washington." Aid is becoming more “transactional” and focused on donor interests, not humanitarian needs. German NGOs report cuts of 20% to the World Food Programme and 33% to the Gavi vaccine alliance. Partnerships with private firms in developing countries are among the few areas not hit. Anita Kattakuzhy of the global south coalition Near said, "Budgets are being reshaped under political pressure, and the communities who bear the consequences have no way to shape those decisions." Mozambique faces severe impact. Despite cyclones, drought, and armed conflict displacing 300,000 people, it has received only $31m of $222m needed. Food aid covers just 39% of caloric needs and is distributed every two months. Sweden’s cut will end key healthcare and education programs for displaced people in Mozambique’s conflict-hit Cabo Delgado region. HIV/AIDS services in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania are also seeing sharp cuts, threatening to reverse years of progress. Ilaria Manunza of Save the Children Mozambique warned, "Every cut compounds the risk of long-term developmental setbacks, particularly in education and child protection. If current trends continue, 2026 will be extremely challenging … there is a real risk that progress made over the past decade could be reversed."