Trump denials can't hide billions in US weapons sent to Ukraine — SkimNews
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- USAI contracts worth roughly $13 billion remain active as of June 2026 (down from $20 billion in January 2025), procuring NASAMs, Patriot missiles including 10-20 PAC-3s per month, counter-drone systems, and artillery rockets for delivery through ~2028.
- Congress included roughly $800 million in USAI funding in the 2026 and 2027 NDAAs, and the State Department approved $3 billion in new arms sales to Ukraine in 2025-2026, partially funded through foreign military financing.
- State Department aid routed through Ukraine's Ministry of Interior sends drones, armored vehicles, grenade launchers and similar equipment to National Guard and border police units that now serve as combat forces.
- U.S. military provides real-time targeting intelligence on Russian troop movements and command centers, integrates reconnaissance assets (including E-3 flights) with Ukraine's air defense network, and handles logistics, maintenance, and training — costs that appear nowhere as itemized Ukraine aid.
- 2024 defense supplemental allocated roughly $15 billion for "military training, intelligence sharing, increased presence, and other support activities"; the classified intelligence budget grew 10% starting in 2023, with Ukraine-related expenditures potentially adding $3-5 billion per year.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged that Ukraine's strikes inside Russia push global oil prices higher, and the article notes Russian assistance to Iran is in part a reaction to deepening U.S. operational involvement in Ukraine.
- Trump wrote on Truth Social that "the Biden administration gave far more munitions away to Ukraine" than the U.S. used in Iran, a claim undercut by roughly $20 billion in annual continuing U.S. support across weapons, intelligence, and operations.
Why it matters: U.S. taxpayers continue spending roughly $20 billion per year on Ukraine despite Trump's claims of having ended that support — and the money has shifted from visible weapons transfers to classified intelligence and operational backing that effectively make the U.S. a combatant. Treasury Secretary Bessent conceded that Ukraine's strikes inside Russia, enabled by U.S. targeting data, are pushing global oil prices higher and raising costs for American consumers.
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