Despite the majority of Americans’ complete opposition to providing Ukraine with additional funding, according to CNN, financial support to aid the nation should still be delivered as necessary. Suspending aid would likely prolong the war and may be costly if Russia successfully annexes Ukraine. As the United States has already significantly invested over $135 billion in Ukraine’s fight against Russia, it would be counterproductive to stop funding and thus diminish the impact of such a large investment. The U.S.’s financing of Ukraine is also in its own national interest, preventing Russia from gaining territory.
Furthermore, according to the U.S. Department of State, “Ukraine is a key regional strategic partner that has undertaken significant efforts to modernize its military and increase its interoperability with NATO…[and it] remains an urgent security assistance priority to provide Ukraine the equipment it needs to defend itself against Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
However, as seen in a CNN poll, public opinion on whether to continue funding Ukraine is heavily partisan, with 62% of Democrats in favor of funding the war and 71% of Republicans against financially supporting Ukraine’s war efforts. Although a majority of U.S. citizens desire to cut off financial support to Ukraine, many desire to assist the country with other means of aid, with “[s]olid majorities in the CNN/SSRS poll want to share intelligence with Ukraine (63 percent) and offer military training (53 percent).” Despite most Americans’ desire to help Ukraine by other means, financial support would be more beneficial to Ukrainians than more other popular alternatives, as indicated by Biden’s budget director, Shalanda Young.
In a letter to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Young wrote, “As the impacts of Russia’s war reverberate around the globe, the United States is committed to maintaining strong global opposition to Russia’s illegal war.”
Young, along with other representatives, detailed the continued consequences of the invasion and funding’s role in ending the war as soon as possible. According to AP News, John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, summarized the U.S.’s intentions, saying that “[f]or people that might be concerned that the costs financially are getting too high, we would ask them to consider what those costs — not just in treasure but in blood, perhaps even American blood — could be if Putin subjugates Ukraine and then sets his sights on our NATO allies, because we obviously have a security commitment to protect our NATO allies.” Thus, it is essential that the U.S. continue to fund Ukraine in order to support American values and prevent Russia’s unlawful expansion.
