Only 10 percent of the billions of dollars secured by the Biden administration as aid for Ukraine were actually sent to Ukraine while the rest was spent in the United States. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken blatantly revealed this to reporters in a press briefing held last week at the State Department.
In a joint press conference with United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Thursday (December 7), hosted by Blinken, a BBC reporter asked about the Russia-Ukraine war slipping away from Ukraine while the Biden administration is asking the Congress for another $61 billion of taxpayer money for Ukraine. After David Cameron answered the question, Blinken claimed that Ukraine has achieved “extraordinary success,” before stating:
If you look at the investments that we’ve made in Ukraine’s defense to deal with this aggression, 90 percent of the security assistance we’ve provided has actually been spent here in the United States with our manufacturers, with our production, and that’s produced more American jobs, more growth in our own economy.
Blinken went on to say that Ukraine aid has been a win-win for America and that it needs to continue. The State Department posted the video of the briefing to its YouTube channel.
At the press conference, select reporters were handpicked in advance to ask the two officials questions about foreign policy in the current times of war. Those who got to ask the questions work with The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Reuters, and ITV.
Blinken’s revelation about spending Ukraine aid within the US was categorically ignored by media. But it didn’t go unnoticed by voices on social media critical of the Biden administration.
Repeating the urgency of further aid for Ukraine in comments on CNN, Blinken stated without any evidence that Ukraine has made remarkable progress against Russia in the ongoing war over the past year. He claimed that Ukraine has recaptured more than 50% of the Ukrainian territory held by Russia since February 2022. However, he did not provide any details to back up his claim. He did reiterate spending 90 percent of the Ukraine aid in the United States.
The Biden administration’s push for getting Congressional approval for over $60 billion in further assistance to Ukraine comes on top of the recent news of Pentagon’s failed audit for the 6th year in a row. Last month, the Pentagon failed its 6th annual financial audit, failing to account for nearly $4 trillion of its funds.