In a story that will have a big impact on the budget debate this week, the CBS News program 60 Minutes broadcast a report Sunday night on U.S. government aid to Ukraine that revealed that in addition to the billions in military aid to help the country defend against Russia’s invasion, the U.S. has spent nearly $25 billion in non-military aid including paying the salaries of Ukraine’s 57,000 first responders and subsidizing small businesses to keep Ukraine’s economy functioning.
60 Minutes correspondent Holly Williams traveled to Ukraine this summer to report on what the U.S. is funding and how it is being accounted for. The report will give ammunition to both sides of the arguments on the U.S. funding Ukraine, however it is pretty clear the report is intended to buttress those supporting funding Ukraine’s war effort.
Joe Biden is facing resistance in Congress to his request for another $26 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Williams met up with three U.S. Senators while in Ukraine, Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and featured late Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in the report.
Williams also spoke with NATO advisor retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges as well as a Ukrainian member of parliament focused on rooting out corruption and accountability for U.S. weapons.
60 Minutes report posted to YouTube:
The report was also posted in parts to X Twitter.
U.S.-made Bradley Fighting Vehicles are involved in some of the deadliest fighting in Ukraine. The U.S. has sent 186 vehicles – costing around $2 million apiece.
“This is the best vehicle I have ever seen,” says Ukrainian Lieutenant Oleksandr Shyrshyn. https://t.co/a9UPA06ISw pic.twitter.com/XdqgkquZmq
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 24, 2023
Russian forces are afraid of the American weapons being used by Ukraine, Lieutenant Oleksandr Shyrshyn told 60 Minutes. https://t.co/qjlPibCbY5 pic.twitter.com/ingMxU1sGr
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 24, 2023
Retired American Lt. General Ben Hodges, a former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, says Russia is an existential threat to U.S. and Europe. https://t.co/rFYiULRylS pic.twitter.com/7AO9iN57pI
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 24, 2023
60 Minutes discovered the U.S. is financing more than weapons in Ukraine. The government is buying seeds/fertilizer for farmers, paying the salaries of 57,000 first responders and subsidizing small businesses. https://t.co/vKWwWDqUwM pic.twitter.com/BxXItNgQce
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 24, 2023
“We’re monitoring. We’re following every piece of equipment. There has been no diversion. No evidence of misappropriation,” Sen Blumenthal said about U.S. military aid to Ukraine. https://t.co/DGHtmyUT40 pic.twitter.com/P766yWT2ZR
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 24, 2023
“It’s the aid from the heart of every ordinary American person,” says Tatiana Abramova, a small business owner in Ukraine. America has pumped nearly 25 billion dollars of non-military aid into Ukraine’s economy since the Russian invasion. https://t.co/LX7D9Kd6mL pic.twitter.com/32U9c7mS4I
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 24, 2023
Ukraine is ranked the second most corrupt country in Europe by Transparency International. But anti-corruption politician Oleksandra Ustinova, who tracks military aid, says the tolerance for corruption is close to zero and the crackdown is underway. https://t.co/zBTvFY8HLg pic.twitter.com/eYzRsLEoEC
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 24, 2023
To the Americans who say we cannot afford to keep supporting Ukraine, Lieutenant Oleksandr Shyrshyn has a simple message. https://t.co/qsOn6grSZV pic.twitter.com/WHeOAw09W0
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 24, 2023
Excerpt from 60 Minutes transcript:
The U.S. has spent just over $43 billion on military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded. That’s equivalent to about 5% of the American defense budget. European countries combined have contributed around $30 billion.
American rocket launchers are now reaching deep into russian-occupied ukraine… and the Patriot air defense system is shielding millions of Ukrainian civilians from airstrikes.
Holly Williams: Where would the Ukrainians be right now without U.S. weapons? How much of their country would they have lost?
General Ben Hodges: Without that sort of aid, I think Ukraine would’ve been probably overrun, defeated– certainly would’ve lost a lot more.
Lieutenant General Ben Hodges served as the commander of the U.S. Army in Europe. He retired in 2017 and is now an advisor to NATO. Hodges told us the Biden administration has failed to explain to Americans what they’re getting for their dollar in Ukraine.
General Ben Hodges: If you think about it, Russia– has been for decades, and still is, an existential threat for Europe and the United States. I mean, just listen to what their leaders say. Look at the thousand nuclear weapons. They clearly will keep going if they’re not stopped.
Holly Williams: It sounds like you’re saying stopping Vladimir Putin in Ukraine directly benefits every American.
General Ben Hodges: Absolutely. This– this war is about so much more than just Ukraine.
Holly Williams: Is this a high point for American foreign policy?
General Ben Hodges: It will be after– Russia has been defeated.
American taxpayers are financing more than just weapons. We discovered the U.S. government’s buying seeds and fertilizer for Ukrainian farmers… and covering the salaries of Ukraine’s first responders – all 57,000 of them.
(Break)
Sen. Lindsey Graham: People ask me, “Is it worth it?” Here’s what we’ve gotten for our investment. We haven’t lost one soldier. We reduced the combat power of the Russian army by 50%, and not one of us has died in that endeavor. This is a great deal for America.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: We have to have confidence that the dollars we’re spending are actually being spent in defense of the nation. All of that is important. But that’s why we’re here.
The senators – and other U.S officials – told us there have been no substantiated cases of American weapons being diverted.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal: The United States Department of Defense ought to be telling a story about oversight. We’re monitoring. We’re following every piece of equipment. There has been no diversion. No evidence of misappropriation. This is an American success story on aiding a partner fighting for freedom.
The House is embroiled in controversy over $300 million for Ukraine in the Defense bill that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had said he would remove but then changed his mind. Several GOP Congressmen including Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA) have said they will not vote for any bills containing funding for Ukraine.
Greene posted a video on Friday reiterating her opposition to funding Ukraine:
Here’s why I’m not in Washington right now. https://t.co/SEgPSC1ZG0
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) September 22, 2023