The Bloody Stalemate In Ukraine Has Cost U.S. Taxpayers $80 Billion

The bipartisan Washington consensus supporting indefinite funding for the war needs to define what the American interest is in it, what our strategy is, and how we plan to achieve outcomes beyond an endless war of attrition. The leaked documents signify a serious shortage in air defense weapons in Ukraine, which could mean either an ongoing stalemate or Russian victory in the months to come. The United States recently promised Ukraine $2.6 billion in air defense systems to alleviate this shortage.

The documents also indicate that the war has not been a string of Ukrainian victories and Russian defeats. Instead, it seems to be a chaotic and indecisive spectacle of butchery on both sides, funded by weapons and cash from around the globe. As munitions run out and the defense industry’s limitations come into focus, questions arise about U.S. sponsorship of Ukraine and how it’s affecting our relationships with China.

As inflation impacts American families, U.S. banks fail, and the threat of recession looms, nearly $80 billion in taxpayer dollars have continuously funded Ukraine’s war since Russia invaded last February. The Ukrainian state is notoriously corrupt, bringing about the question of transparency, especially since a small number of U.S. special forces operate inside Ukraine to help with accountability, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

This stalemate in Ukraine could lead to a nuclear crisis. Without a push for peace negotiations, escalation and inevitable U.S. involvement or abandonment of Ukraine are our only options. American taxpayers must question how much more they will have to spend to find out how this ends.