U.S. Has Already Given Ukraine $48 Billion in Aid This Year

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit Wednesday to Washington, D.C., both acknowledges U.S. support for Kyiv against Russian aggression and consolidates a quest for further aid.

During the visit, President Joe Biden "will announce a significant new package of security assistance" to help Kyiv and show Washington's "steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes," the White House said Wednesday.

That support has been considerable so far and has made Ukraine the first European country to be the top recipient of U.S. foreign aid since the Marshall Plan helped rebuild the Continent following World War II, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

A U.S. Defense Department fact sheet released November 10 said more than $18.6 billion in American security assistance has been given to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began on February 24.

However, when taking into account all the support agreed to by the Biden administration and Congress, including financial aid for Ukraine's economy and humanitarian assistance, the bill between January 24 and November 20 totals around $48 billion, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

This includes $9.9 billion worth of aid that includes emergency food assistance, health care and refugee support, plus a further $15.1 billion for financial support.

The Kiel Institute's estimate of American military support is around $22.9 billion. This includes $8.9 billion in security assistance for training, equipment and logistics support. There was also $12.7 billion worth of weapons and equipment from Defense Department stocks, provided through a presidential drawdown. Furthermore, grants and loans for weapons and equipment through a foreign military and financing program totaled $1.3 billion.

Newsweek has contacted the Pentagon for comment.

Zelensky's visit is expected to cement the promise of much-needed advanced Patriot missile batteries to combat the pounding of Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure by Russian missiles and Iranian-supplied drones. One of the most capable long-range weapons, the Patriot can hit Russian missiles and aircraft far from their intended targets inside Ukraine.

It will be the most advanced surface-to-air missile the U.S. has provided Ukraine, although it has given Kyiv other significant military aid, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

Among the weapons supplied are over 1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, more than 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems and 42 155 mm howitzers.

Numerous other American munitions and equipment have also been supplied, including four Avenger air defense systems, high-speed anti-radiation missiles, 20 Mi-17 helicopters and 45 T-72B tanks.

Former British military intelligence officer Philip Ingram told Newsweek that so far the Javelin anti-tank missiles have been the most effective weapons that the U.S. has given to Ukraine's forces. This is because they devastated the initial Russian advances on the ground, "paralyzing their attacks on Kyiv and forcing a rethink in tactics."

Ingram said the next most effective weapons have been the HIMARS and other long-range 155 mm artillery weapons, which have allowed Ukraine's forces to disrupt Russian command and control and logistics, backed up by intelligence support from assets outside the country.

"The final significant support, equipment-wise, is air defense capability from the handheld to larger systems," he said. "Of course, all of this would be useless if it weren't for the political and financial support too."