“Don’t know where the money went” Zelensky wants 100 billion dollars from US

As the Russia-Ukraine war approaches three years, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Kyiv has received less than half of the promised aid. Zelensky has said that Ukraine has only recieved $75 billion out of the $177 billion military aid approved by the United States under the Biden administration, and he does not know where the rest of the money went.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the Ukrainian President said he received less than half of what was approved by the US and he was unaware of where those funds went. “When I hear – both in the past and even now – from the US that America has provided Ukraine with hundreds of billions (of dollars), as the president of a nation at war, I can tell you – we’ve received more than $75 billion,” he said.

Zelensky also refuted reports that Ukraine had received $200 billion from the US to support its war effort against Russia. “So, when people talk about $177 billion or even $200 billion, we’ve never received that. We’re talking about tangible things because this aid didn’t come as cash but rather as weapons, which amounted to about US$70 billion,” he added.

Zelensky also emphasised to the US the importance of maintaining veteran and healthcare programmes during wartime. “Perhaps the US President’s administration will audit these programmes and find additional billions, but I don’t know where those funds went,” he added.

The revelations made by Zelensky sparked rumours of corruption on the part of the Central Investigation Agency (CIA), Ukrainian officials and generals. Tech mogul Elon Musk, who is heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) also took note of the matter.

Peace Deal

In an initial phone call with Trump during the presidential campaign, Zelensky said, the two agreed that if Trump won, they would meet to discuss the steps needed to end the war. But a planned visit by Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, was postponed “for legal reasons” Zelenskyy said. That was followed by a sudden foreign aid freeze that effectively caused Ukrainian organizations to halt projects.

“I believe that, first and foremost, we (must) hold a meeting with him, and that is important. And that is, by the way, something that everyone in Europe wants,” Zelensky said, referring to “a common vision of a quick end to the war.” After the conversation with Trump, “we should move on to some kind of format of conversation with Russians. And I would like to see the United States of America, Ukraine and the Russians at the negotiating table. … And, to be honest, a European Union voice should also be there. I think it would be fair, effective. But how will it turn out? I don’t know.” Zelensky cautioned against allowing Putin to take “control” over the war, an apparent reference to Russia’s repeated threats of escalation during President Joe Biden’s administration.

President Trump has repeatedly said that if he was the President in 2022, Russia would not have been able to invade Ukraine in 2022. Putin also recently claimed that the Ukraine crisis might not have emerged if Trump was the President.

Kyiv has meanwhile maintained its stand that it does not want a ceasefire without obtaining security guarantees that would stop Moscow from regenerating its forces and launching another invasion in the future. Ukraine has praised Trump and his “peace through strength” approach as Kyiv tries to win the backing it needs to create the conditions for a lasting and robust peace.

Trump has been extremely critical of the billions Washington has spent arming Ukraine, while threatening to impose additional sanctions on Russia if Putin does not reach a “deal” to end the war. Russia, for its part, has sought assurances that Ukraine will never join NATO.

Meanwhile, Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine on Saturday, killing 15 people and damaging dozens of residential buildings as well as energy infrastructure across the country. Ukraine and Russia later traded blame for a strike on a dormitory at a boarding school in a Ukrainian-held part of Russia’s Kursk region, each side accusing the other of launching the attack that killed four.

Now with Zelensky claiming that the aid money for Ukraine is missing it begs the question where exactly have the billions disappeared. There have long been massive allegations of corruption surrounding Ukrainian officials, while US officials too have been under the scanner, as it has been alleged that vast sums of money being sent to Kiev have been laundered or redirected. Now the Trump administration will surely be wanting to have a detailed look at the financial cesspit that has become the Ukraine-Russia war and plug it once and for all.