The US Department of Defense and independent analysts have challenged President Trump’s recent statements about US spending on Ukraine, presenting significantly lower figures than his claimed $350 billion total, Voice of America reported.
According to the Pentagon’s confirmation to Voice of America, the US has provided $65.9 billion in military aid to Ukraine, with an additional $3.9 billion in authorized military assistance remaining unspent. An interagency oversight group that is charged with presenting reports to US Congress says that the Congress has allocated approximately $183 billion to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Of the total aid package, about $58 billion has been spent within the United States, directly supporting American defense industry development through weapons replacement and direct investments.
When asked about the discrepancy, the White House responded by citing Trump’s comments. In a Truth Social post, the US President earlier stated:
“Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the US and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle.“
European contributions and independent analysis
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy, tracking Ukraine support, reported that European countries, including the EU, UK, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland and others, have allocated approximately $140 billion in aid, while the US has provided about $120 billion in total assistance.
European donors have led overall aid efforts since 2022, particularly in financial and humanitarian support, according to the institute’s latest report. The US has provided approximately $2 billion more than Europe in military assistance specifically.
Ukraine aid represents a relatively small portion of GDP for several countries. The US, Germany, and UK have mobilized less than 0.2% of their GDP annually for Kyiv’s support, while France, Italy, and Spain’s contributions amount to about 0.1% of their annual GDP.
Additional fact-checking
Deutsche Welle and Newsweek have conducted fact-checks, finding no evidence supporting the $350 billion figure.
The World Bank estimated in September 2022 that Ukraine’s reconstruction could cost $350 billion, with experts suggesting frozen Russian assets might fund post-war rebuilding efforts.
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