Tuberville continues to prove himself the most inept of Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots in the U.S. Senate. In this case, he claimed that the United States has spent $211 billion in Ukraine and that “NATO” has only spent about $52 billion. A few problems with that sentence:
1. He took that $211 billion from a Reuters story from earlier this year. It’s actually an estimate from a senior U.S. defense official on what Russia had spent to that point. So, strike one.
2. The United States is a part of NATO, so claiming “NATO spent…” is nonsensical. (strike two)
3. If Tuberville meant the EU, he might be surprised to find out, because he’s ignorant of even the basic facts, that “The European Union and its member states have so far granted Ukraine $156 billion in military, financial, and humanitarian aid since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war on Feb. 24, 2022.” (Source)
The United States has spent $106 billion (according to the Council on Foreign Relations, as of Sept 27, 2024). That includes weapons, equipment, and other military support making up the majority, with further money for budget and humanitarian support.
