
ANDOVER/NEW LONDON – Has Ukraine received $350 billion in US Aide?
Like most Americans, I worry about where my tax dollars are going, and there is no better time to pay attention to federal spending than April, when we are required to pay income taxes. We, on average, cough up 14.5 % of our annual income to the IRS. Over our lifetimes, it can total almost a half million dollars.
The current administration has told us again and again that we have provided $350 billion in aid to Ukraine and that the European Union has not paid their fair share. They also claim that Ukraine does not appreciate the aid.
A few years back, I interviewed Bob and Carlyse Evans for The Beacon about their experiences living and working in Ukraine and the Soviet Union. The two of them have extensive experience and knowledge about the history of the Ukraine- Russia relationship and conflict. I wanted to get their thoughts about the current situation and the freezing of aid and elimination of military intelligence. The following is a snippet from our conversation.
Bob responded to the $350 billion claim of US aid – According to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Aid Tracker, through January 2025 the US allocated just over $120B in aid to Ukraine. I asked Bob, “Why would the US administration claim that we have paid $350 billion?” He speculates that this was to support the false claim that the US has contributed more than Europe. Europe has committed 217.8 in refugee, military, humanitarian and financial assistance and in January committed an additional 123.8 billion for a total of 341.6 billion while the US has funded a fraction of that.
An independent audit states that America promised $182b, allocated $122bl and only funded $83.4 billion and much of that was spent in America, creating US jobs. In addition, the assistance amount includes $60 billion in military aid. However, that $60 billion is the estimated replacement value for vintage military equipment. The military equipment is actually outdated, and its resale value is only about $18.3 billion, according to Anastassia Fedyk and James Hodson in their March 6, 2025 article entitled “New analysis from Economists for Ukraine: The cost of US aid to Ukraine is less than half the official figures”.
As of today, the US has paid only $83.4 billion of the 122.8 billion allocated and 182 billion promised. President Zelensky and Ukraine are grateful. Perhaps the attempt to characterize President Zelensky as ungrateful was really an effort to make it difficult for Z to request the remaining promised aid.
Bob clarified that recent references to loans appear to include loans provided by the G7 and the World Bank. Ukraine is obliged to repay the World Bank, not the US. The US did freeze Russian assets and used those as collateral in case Ukraine cannot pay back the World Bank’s 20-billion-dollar SPUR loan.
Do you believe Ukrainians want peace? Of course! No one wants to endure the horrors of this war and continually worry about a bomb landing on their home, their kid’s school or a nuclear power plant. Ukrainians and President Zelensky want peace, and they want lasting peace: territorial guarantees, which means boots on the ground, EU membership or NATO membership, return of the 20,000 kidnapped Ukrainian children, return of POWs and for Russia to stop meddling in their affairs. Currently, 20,000 Ukrainian children have been taken from Ukraine and resettled across Russia. These children are being indoctrinated, not allowed to speak their language, call themselves Ukrainian or even say that Ukraine is a country.
Ukraine is interested in a genuine ceasefire and not one that gives Russia a break to rearm and refill its military coffers before they resume the invasion. She explained that Russia and Ukraine have agreed on a ceasefire many times – 25 times since 2014 and every time, Russia has broken the agreement. Both Bob and Carlyse expressed sincere doubt that Russia could be trusted to honor a ceasefire.
Bob and Carlyse have unique and personal experience. Carlyse remembers first meeting Putin when he was working for the Mayor of St. Petersburg. He made it clear then that he wanted to rebuild Russia to his view of its imperial grandeur, which included modern-day Armenia, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Tatarstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, as well as territories that are currently part of China, Germany, Japan and Korea. President Putin has invaded many countries, seizing territory and installing puppet governments. The invasion of Ukraine is but another example in his continuing effort to recreate his dream of Imperial Russia. Carlyse worries about which country Putin will invade next: the Baltics, Finland, Poland?
“We never imagined the “Great Experiment” would lead us to support totalitarian regimes such as the Russia we see today” she says.
Carlyse Evans currently advises US law firms on strategy, revenue generation and operational excellence and has over 20 years experience running the business side of Baker McKenzie, one of the world’s largest law firms. She worked in Baker McKenzie’s offices in Ukraine and Russia. She has two master’s degrees, one in Russian history, and the second in Economics of Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Her doctoral studies focused on the political economy of modern-day Russia and Ukraine.
Bob Evans is a senior media and military advisor. He was president of several television networks in the United States and Europe, and later served as Chief of Party leading well-respected media, judicial, election. and democratization projects in Eurasia for the United States State Department and United Nations. Bob was a member and advisor to the Georgian Federal Communications Commission and Kosovar Central Elections Committee. Bob is a decorated military veteran.