Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, there seems to be a forever-running faucet of financial aid coming from the U.S. to assist Ukraine. The U.S. Government has already dropped nearly $50 billion in military aid to Ukraine, leaving some to wonder if the number will hit $1 trillion as it did in Afghanistan.
In 2001, the U.S. entered Afghanistan as part of efforts in its “War on Terror.” The U.S. had the support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and over 40 countries. The U.S. stayed in Afghanistan for two decades before beginning withdrawal in 2020. The United States Armed Forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021. Throughout the occupation of Afghanistan, the U.S. spent $2.313 trillion on the war, which included operations in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
This total does not include funds that the U.S. government is obligated to spend on lifetime care for American veterans of this war, nor does it include future interest payments on money borrowed to fund the war, according to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
With President Joe Biden continuing to push through financial aid packages to Ukraine, the amount is nearing the money spent in Afghanistan in a shorter period of time.
The latest round of funding for Ukraine was signed off by Biden in late September, with a spending bill of $12.3 billion in aid, The New York Times reported.
The package included a third installment of financial aid to Ukraine on top of a total of about $54 billion approved earlier this year. With this latest package, Congress “has now committed more military aid to Ukraine than it has to any country in a single year since the Vietnam War,” The New York Times reported.
The U.S. will allocate $1.5 billion to replenish weapons and equipment previously sent to the country while allowing Biden to authorize the transfer of up to $3.7 billion of American equipment and weapons.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. is providing security assistance alongside our allies and partners from more than 50 countries to support Ukraine’s defense.
President Joe Biden (AP) / Helicopter money image: Unsplash
