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Fact check: US spent 350 billions USD in Ukraine since the war
1. Summary of the results
The claim that the US spent $350 billion in Ukraine is not accurate according to multiple credible sources. Here are the verified figures:
- The Kiel Institute estimates US aid at approximately $114-119.5 billion since 2022 [1] [1]
- Congress has appropriated between $174-183 billion total [2]
- Of the allocated funds, only $83.4-86.7 billion has been actually disbursed [2] [3]
- Military assistance specifically amounts to about $65.9-67 billion [1] [1]
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
Several important contextual points are missing from the original statement:
- Not all appropriated funding goes directly to Ukraine - some supports NATO allies and other related initiatives [3]
- Europe has actually allocated slightly more aid than the United States [4]
- There's a significant difference between:
Funds appropriated by Congress
Funds made available
- Funds actually disbursed
This distinction is crucial for understanding the true scale of US support [2]
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The $350 billion figure appears to originate from statements made by former President Trump, who has repeatedly inflated the aid amount [4]. This misrepresentation serves several potential purposes:
- It exaggerates US spending during the Biden administration
- It potentially undermines public support for Ukraine aid by making it appear more costly than it actually is
- It overlooks the fact that European support matches or exceeds US contributions [4]
The accurate tracking of aid is provided by multiple independent sources:
- The Kiel Institute
- Congressional Research Service
- Special Inspector General for Operation Atlantic Resolve
- State Department
All of which present significantly lower figures than the claimed amount [3]