Trump Repeats False Ukraine Aid Claim

Europe has allocated much wealth successful direct, bilateral assistance to Ukraine than the U.S. has during the warfare with Russia. But successful President Donald Trump’s remarks surrounding caller meetings with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, helium falsely claimed that the U.S. has fixed Ukraine much than 3 times arsenic overmuch arsenic Europe.

In an Aug. 15 interrogation with Fox News’ Sean Hannity aft the president’s meeting successful Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump, arsenic helium has before, provided an inaccurate examination of U.S. and European assistance to Ukraine. “You know, we gave them $350 billion. Europe gave them overmuch less, but inactive a lot. A 100 cardinal dollars,” Trump said.

Trump greets Zelenskyy astatine the White House connected Aug. 18 successful Washington, D.C. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images.

Trump repeated those figures successful an Aug. 19 interview connected “Fox & Friends” the time aft helium met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders successful the White House. “We’ve spent done the erstwhile medication $350 billion. Europe has spent a batch also, 100 billion, but it should beryllium reversed, if we should person been successful for anything,” helium said.

His assertion is incorrect. An August report from the peculiar inspector wide overseeing U.S. enactment for Ukraine said much than $187 cardinal was made disposable done June for subject operations and the broader effect to Russia’s penetration since February 2022. As we’ve written, astir $174.2 cardinal of that was approved successful 5 bipartisan appropriation bills, according to the Congressional Research Service. In addition, the U.S. provided to Ukraine a $20 cardinal loan to beryllium repaid with proceeds from frozen Russian assets.

As for Europe, it had allocated 167.4 cardinal euros (equal to astir $195 cardinal today) successful assistance to Ukraine arsenic of June 30, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German probe group that publishes the Ukraine Support Tracker. For a nonstop comparison, the Kiel Institute said that is much than the 114.6 cardinal euros (or astir $133 billion) successful assistance allocated by the U.S successful that period. The Kiel Institute’s totals include only direct, bilateral (government-to-government) military, fiscal and humanitarian assistance allocations to Ukraine. That’s wherefore the U.S. full is little than what was appropriated by Congress, since a portion of that wealth was spent successful the U.S. alternatively than successful Ukraine.

Europe besides has committed an further 90 cardinal euros for Ukraine assistance not yet allocated, the Kiel Institute says, portion the U.S. has committed different 4.4 cardinal euros.

What’s Behind Trump’s U.S. Figure?

In an Aug. 18 Oval Office gathering with Zelenskyy, Trump again brought up U.S. assistance to Ukraine during the Biden administration, saying, “I judge the fig is implicit 300 [billion dollars], I deliberation it could beryllium $350 cardinal worthy of instrumentality and wealth and everything else.”

A White House authoritative told america successful an email that Trump’s fig includes the nonstop U.S. spending arsenic a effect of the warfare arsenic good arsenic indirect economical costs calculated by the White House, including much than $93 cardinal successful ostentation caused by the war, implicit $16 cardinal successful mislaid commercialized gross owed to sanctions connected Russia, and astir $7 cardinal from higher prices for fertilizer. (No indirect outgo calculation was provided for Europe.)

Mark F. Cancian, elder advisor successful the defence and information section astatine the Center for Strategic & International Studies, told america successful an email that the White House full “looks similar it was thrown together.”

Cancian said the nonaccomplishment of gross from sanctions “is plausible,” though helium said helium would permission it to economists to find however to cipher the amount. “The remainder is laughable,” helium said.

He noted that the White House attributed each of the ostentation from 2021 to 2023 to Russia’s warfare with Ukraine, but nary to home U.S. policies. (The White House’s fig comes from multiplying a 2023 estimate for the interaction of ostentation connected families by the number of households successful the U.S.) We’ve also written that the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects were the basal causes of precocious ostentation during that period.

It’s notable that the White House blames Russia’s war, which so contributed to higher ostentation arsenic the U.S. and different countries enactment sanctions connected Russian oil. But during the campaign, Trump repeatedly blamed the Biden medication and “what they did with energy,” and successful his inaugural address, helium said ostentation “was caused by monolithic overspending and escalating vigor prices.”

Cancian directed america to the figures produced by the Kiel Institute, which helium said “does a planetary investigation utilizing a accordant methodology, truthful it is bully for comparing nationalist contributions.” Those figures amusement Europe giving much straight to Ukraine than the U.S.

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