MANIPULATION: Zelenskyi admitted that 70% of American aid remains in the US due to corruption

Russian propagandists are spreading an excerpt from Zelenskyi’s press conference in Riga, where he mentioned that 70% of US aid remains at defense enterprises in America. Propagandists claim that this is evidence of corruption.

However, this is manipulation. Propagandists distort the context of the information provided by Zelenskyi. In reality, most of the aid remains in the US because these funds are used for the development of the American military-industrial complex.

Using keywords, we found a record of Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s meeting with Baltic media on January 11, 2024. At this meeting, the President of Ukraine said: “More than 70% of this money stayed in the USA. And the people who helped us with this weapon know that. Because this weapon is not free, and these funds went to US companies. And the people there received this money.” In other words, the majority of the assistance from the USA allocated for military support to Ukraine goes to defense enterprises in the United States to replenish the stocks of arms transferred to Ukraine. This is not corruption or “kickbacks”; such a procedure for providing military support to third countries is entirely legal.

In late December 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that up to 90% of the money allocated by Washington to assist Ukraine is spent within the USA. This is an absolutely legal and transparent procedure. Blinken noted that if the US Congress approves additional assistance to Ukraine, it will benefit Americans and businesses, as well as allies and partners of the USA. According to a report by the Hudson Institute, the $70 billion allocated to Ukraine will never leave the USA. These funds contribute to the development of America’s defense industry and create jobs in 38 states across the country. The Wilson Center also claims that American aid to Ukraine contributes to the development of the US economy.

Additionally, on January 23, 2024, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during the opening of an online session of the 18th “Ramstein” meeting, stated: “We have seen no credible evidence of the misuse or illicit diversion (to third parties — Ed.) of American equipment provided to Ukraine.”