A town hall event on February 20th was attended by Fox News host Laura Ingraham and 2024 presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump. claimed The United States has provided more than $200 billion in aid to Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, while Europe has provided $35 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Verdict: Misleading
The United States has provided Ukraine with $75 billion, not to exceed $200 billion, and has pledged approximately $113 billion in Ukraine-related aid. The European Union has so far pledged more than $156 billion, while providing about $30 billion to $35 billion in military aid, according to data and experts. One expert said comparing EU and US aid was not an “apples to apples comparison”.
Fact check:
According to the newspaper, President Trump and President Joe Biden visited the southern border on the same day. new york times.
During a Fox News town hall, President Trump made the claim after an in-studio audience asked him about giving “unnecessary” aid to foreign countries, specifically Ukraine. “[The U.S. is] It will sell for more than $200 billion. [Europe is] For $35 billion. That’s a $150 billion difference. They have to start paying,” Trump said.
In the first part of his argument, President Trump said the United States had committed more than $200 billion in aid to Ukraine.
A spokesperson for the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) referred people to a CFR article titled “Check the facts.” Note Citing data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the United States sent $75 billion in aid to Ukraine. The data breaks down aid into humanitarian aid ($1.6 billion), financial aid ($26.4 billion), and total military aid ($46.3 billion). Total military aid consists of security assistance ($18.3 billion), arms and equipment ($23.5 billion), and grants and loans for arms and equipment ($4.5 billion).
Congressional Research Service (CRS) February 15th report It shows the US has provided “$44.2 billion in security assistance” to Ukraine since February 2022 under President Joe Biden’s administration.
In addition, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) Blog Posts for January 2023 Congress says it has approved more than $113 billion in aid and military assistance to Ukraine in 2022. Of the more than $113 billion, $67 billion was designated for defense needs, while the remaining $46 billion was designated for “the general government of Ukraine,” according to the same post. Aid, economic support, and refugee resettlement assistance. ”
The post also notes that an additional “$43.7 billion in emergency funding” is included in the fiscal year 2023 appropriations package, on top of the $65.8 billion that Congress allocated to Ukraine in three separate funding packages. .
“Please check the facts,” Trump’s press secretary said. Fox News Articles from February 2023 The report claims that the United States “led the world in comprehensive military, financial, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine from January 24 to November 24.” 196 billion in 2022. The article also points out that Germany ranked second in contributions to Ukraine during the same period at $172 billion, citing statements from the Ukrainian President’s Office and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
April 2023 Fact Check newsweek The Kiel Institute denies that the United States has contributed $196 billion to Ukraine, calling the $200 billion figure “false.” A representative from the Kiel Institute also denied the “fact-checking” claims.
“There’s not much I can say about these numbers as reported by Fox News. As you can clearly see both on our website reporting the headline numbers and in the data with detailed information, these numbers as reported. “There is nothing to suggest that,” Pietro Bonprezzi, project leader for the Ukraine Aid Tracker at the Kiel Institute, said in an email. “Please check the facts.”
A Fox News spokesperson said the source for the claim was The Associated Press, which directed Check Your Fact to display the graph, which is still available for viewing. AP.org.
An Associated Press spokesperson told Graff’s sources to “check your facts,” but responded to the media’s subsequent question about whether it was incorrect to point out that the U.S. gave $196 billion to Ukraine. did not respond.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian embassy in the United States also provided Check Your Facts with figures on U.S. aid, saying it was “of the total amount.” $113.4 billion Emergency spending made available by these laws was appropriated by Congress. Approximately $88.7 billion in assistance to Ukraine and other countries affected by the war” (Emphasis in the original text and not added by Check Your Fact.)
“Starting in February 2022, the Biden administration will specifically $44.2 billion in security assistance, $22.9 billion in direct financial aidand $2.3 billion in humanitarian aid. “The administration is also providing assistance to Ukraine’s energy, governance, and agricultural sectors, among other things, and supporting the needs of Ukrainian refugees in other countries,” the spokesperson said in an email. (Emphasis is original and not from Check Your Fact.)
A State Department spokesperson said, “Please confirm the facts using the email provided by the United States.” Over $79.8 billion Since 2014, U.S. assistance to Ukraine has included: Approximately $74.6 billion From February 24, 2022 onwards. ” (emphasis in original, not added by Check Your Fact).
“The amount of aid we provided to Ukraine is less than half of the total amount received by Ukraine. Our partners and allies provided approximately $119 billion,” the spokesperson said.
In the second part of his claim, President Trump said that Europe had given Ukraine $35 billion in aid.
Data collected by Kiel Institute ukraine support tracker shows that European countries outperform the United States in terms of government support for Ukraine. Countries in the European Union have pledged a total of 144.1 billion euros in aid, but the United States has only provided a total of 67.7 billion euros. (Related: Fact-checking President Trump’s claims, he has been indicted more times than Al Capone)
“Total aid pledged by the EU (meaning bilateral, intergovernmental and EU institutions) amounts to 144.13 billion euros as of January 15.”th 2024. Total US aid will amount to 68.72 billion euros. If we consider geographical Europe, i.e. the UK, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland as non-EU countries, the total amount is 170 billion euros,” Bonprezzi said.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian embassy in the United States also provided Check Your Fact with figures on European Union aid to Ukraine. (Emphasis on them, not from Check Your Fact).
“As of January 2024, EU institutions and Member States have published estimates. $77 billion in aid to Ukraine From February 2022 onwards, including approx. $30 billion in security assistance. In February 2024, EU leaders $54 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, will be paid over the period 2024 to 2027,” the spokesperson said. “The E.U. Another $18 billion To respond to the needs of Ukrainian refugees in Europe. Individual EU member states also provide refugee assistance. Other countries are also providing aid to Ukraine, including the UK, Japan, Canada and Norway. ”
Eric GomezA senior fellow at the liberal Cato Institute, whose research focuses on the U.S. military budget and military posture, said Trump got the “hard numbers” wrong, but that the U.S. needs more “immediate He explained that he was correct in saying that Japan had provided “military aid.” Ukraine than Europe.
“While Trump gets the specific numbers wrong, he makes an important point about the outsized role of U.S. aid to Ukraine compared to European countries.”
“According to the CFR, the United States sends approximately $75 billion in aid to Ukraine, of which $46 billion is military aid. The United States is by far the largest donor of individual aid, followed by Germany. It is the largest country with a total aid amount of $24 billion. [EU]”Although the total amount of aid to Ukraine is almost twice that of the United States, it is not an apples-to-apples comparison because it includes commitments for future long-term aid that the United States cannot legally make,” Gomez said. I told Yua. Facts via email.
“The type of aid is also important here. The United States is by far the largest donor of military aid to Ukraine, providing $46.3 billion, followed by Germany in second place with $19.4 billion.Europe Countries like to tout the EU’s much higher overall aid levels as proof of its commitment to defending Ukraine, but this aid is primarily financial. Weapons in the hands of Ukraine’s military. “The United States outperforms all other foreign aid suppliers when it comes to delivering aid,” Gomez continued.
“So while President Trump is wrong about the amount of aid sent, he is right to point out that when it comes to immediate military aid to Ukraine, the United States bears a much larger burden than European countries. ” he said.
john hardyThe deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Check Your Facts that the United States has given Ukraine “just over $74 billion” in aid.
“The United States has given just over $74 billion to Ukraine. When he says, ‘They’re getting $35 billion,’ isn’t President Trump referring to Europe?” “The EU (including EU member states and institutions) contributes approximately $156 billion to Ukraine,” Hardy said.
Late January 2024, Associated Press According to reports, Congress has not yet approved additional funding for Ukraine, and the final round of security assistance presented by the Pentagon on December 27, 2023, will include 155mm artillery shells, among other military equipment. It was proposed as a $250 million package. As of February 28, the Pentagon is considering whether to use the available $4 billion in “Presidential Authorization Funds Available to Ukraine” to provide military aid to the country, according to reports. It is said that they are doing so. CNN.
Elias Atienza contributed to this report.
