On February 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said he had only received $75 billion of the $175 billion the United States had spent on Ukraine. The cry went up, what happened to the other $100 billion? Was it lost or stolen? The answer is no. Only part of the aid goes through Ukrainian control. A large part pays for activities as a result of the war but not to Ukraine directly. These include the United States training of Ukrainian forces, global humanitarian assistance, additional costs of U.S. surge forces in Europe, and intelligence support for both NATO and Ukraine.
As CSIS has reported before, “aid to Ukraine” is a misnomer because 90 percent of military aid is spent in the United States. Of aid overall, 60 percent is spent in the United States, about 25 percent is spent in Ukraine, and the final 15 percent is spent globally.
Q1: What did President Zelensky say that started this controversy?
A1: In an interview with the Associated Press on February 2, Zelensky stated: When I hear that America gave Ukraine hundreds of billions [of dollars], 177, to be more precise . . . as the president of a warring country, I can tell you that we received just over 75 . . . We are talking about specific things, because we got it, not with money but with weapons. There is training, there is additional transport, there are not only prices for weapons. There were humanitarian programs, social, etc. . . . $100 billion of these 177, we never received. When it’s said that Ukraine received $200 billion to support the army during the war, that is not true. I don’t know where all the money is.
The statement is a bit confusing since he was speaking off the cuff in a video interview. He refers to both $177 billion and $200 billion. He speaks about supporting the “army” where aid helped all elements of the Ukrainian armed forces, and he appears to include only weapons as aid “received.”
Q2: How was that interpreted?
A2: Many people asked where the “missing” $100 billion went and seized on the statement, “I don’t know where all the money is.”
Comment sections of media reports flamed with accusations of corruption and malfeasance. Some online commentators speculated about corruption by the CIA, Ukrainian officials, or former President Joe Biden. Some linked it to viral social media claims alleging a conspiracy involving U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) payments to celebrities to visit Ukraine. Others cited this as evidence of government waste, suggesting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) investigate and identify cuts. DOGE had previously raised concerns about the U.S. government’s ability to track aid to Ukraine. Members of Congress and Elon Musk, who leads DOGE, amplified posts questioning the misuse of aids.
General Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, denied these interpretations. He noted that “we have a pretty good accounting of where it is going” and that most appropriated funds are spent in the United States.
Nevertheless, the controversy has had an effect. In private conversations, Republican congressional staff members say that the confusion and hint of corruption have poisoned the possibility of further aid, at least in the near term.
Q3: So, what happened to the “missing” $100 billion?
A3: The short answer is that it is not missing. The funds went (mostly) to activities that arose because of the war, and all are accounted for. Some paid for sending equipment and funds directly to Ukraine. A large part went to activities that arose because of the war but were not spent in Ukraine. To see why this is the case, it is important to look at the funding as a whole.
Since 2022, Congress has appropriated $175.2 billion in aid as a result of the war in Ukraine, a slight difference from the $177 billion that Zelensky cites. This includes all funds in the five supplemental appropriations, $900 million in the regular budget but excludes $9 billion in loans. Most has been delivered, and most of the remainder has been obligated through contracts and binding commitments. However, it will take many years for all the contracts to be completed and the money disbursed.
In past analyses, CSIS has divided aid to Ukraine into categories to illustrate the different purposes. Figure 1 shows how the $175 billion is laid out in seven categories. It’s all there, the $75 billion Zelensky cites and the “missing” $100 billion.
Military equipment: Replacement of equipment sent to Ukraine from U.S. stockpiles (through Presidential Drawdown Authority) and foreign military financing of equipment for Ukraine. U.S. industrial base and general Department of Defense (DOD) spending: Items that enhance U.S. military capabilities, particularly the defense industrial base, but are not directly related to the war in Ukraine. Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI): Mostly money for Ukraine to procure equipment directly from U.S. manufacturers, also supports maintenance of Ukrainian equipment, training of Ukrainian personnel and units, and Ukraine-related intelligence activities.
U.S. forces: Funds for the extra costs of U.S. forces that surged to Europe in response to Russian aggression. Some of these surge forces have returned to the United States, but others remain. Humanitarian aid: Aid to relieve suffering because of the war. Mostly done through nongovernmental organizations in Europe for Ukrainian refugees, though some is spent in the United States and Ukraine. Some of the budget is also spent on global food relief. About $3 billion has gone to international development, unrelated to the war.
Economic: U.S. funds are provided to the Ukrainian government through the World Bank to make up for lost tax revenues and to keep governmental services operating. Other U.S. agencies: Funds for activities in U.S. agencies other than the DOD, Department of State, and USAID, for example, for the Department of the Treasury to enforce sanctions and for the Department of Energy to safeguard nuclear materials.
