The Magnificent Marvelous Missing Money Bag

 

"I don't know where all this money is."

– Ukrainian President Zelensky, Feb 2025

In a new interview with the Associated Press, Volodymyr Zelensky says that despite the estimated $200 billion that has been sent, Ukrainians only ever got there hands upon $75 billion. He doesn't know where the rest of it went. .... "Let's look at the numbers." – Louis CK's Accountant Since the start of the Russia/Ukraine War on February 24th 2022, the United States Congress has passed 6 Ukraine Security Assistance Packages: -March 15, 2022: $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine was part of a supplemental appropriations bill. -May 21, 2022: $40.6 billion in aid was approved, focusing on military, economic, and humanitarian assistance. -September 30, 2022: $12.3 billion was included in a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, with a portion for Ukraine. -December 23, 2022: Within the omnibus spending bill, $44.9 billion was allocated for Ukraine support. -December 22, 2023: The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, which included $800 million specifically for Ukraine. This was part of a broader defense policy bill, not a standalone Ukraine aid package but still significant. -April 20, 2024: The House passed a $61.7 billion aid package for Ukraine, which President Biden signed into law on April 24, 2024. All in the United States has allocated $173.9 billion passed by the previous administration under Joe Biden, Congress, and 3 Speakers of The House, starting with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, continuing with ousted speaker Kevin McCarthy and including the current two-time Speaker Mike Johnson. Now that’s not including the military aid packages that were sent in 10 separate rounds in 2023. The military aid packages in 2023 were authorized by the President of the United States under the authority known as Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA). This loophole allowed for Biden to bypass congress and transfer articles and services from U.S. military stocks without the need for Congressional approval for each specific package, although Congress must be notified. The Department of Defense, under then Secretary Lloyd Austin, executed these authorizations. That brings the total US monies and aid packages sent combined stamped with a value of approximately $179 billion.

And that's also forgetting the approximate $160 billion in security packages sent to Ukraine from European nations, Japan, South Korea, the U.K., Canada and various others. So, all in, cards on the table, chips across the green felt, last drag off the cigarette, the entire global security packages sent the Ukrainians in the last three years, as of February 3rd 2025, stands at a grand total of:

Approximately $337.3 billion in adjusted and converted US dollars.

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Volodymyr Zelensky's term term in office expired on May 20, 2024, but elections were suspended under martial law. With his previous approval rating at a 90% at the start of the war, nearly three years later, it now drops 40 points to a 50%. With Trump absolutely adamant for the war to finally end, he has expressed his sincerest interests in exploring in-person meetings with Putin himself, after a 3-way call with himself, Zelensky and Musk, Musk himself providing many direct lines of communication for the Ukrainians during their fight via his Starlink satellites. Even going so far as to block requests for more direct military intervention with the technology, attempting to only aid humanitarianly so as not to directly involve either himself or America, directly in the carnage. This could very well all be coming to an end soon, as it is already with the financials at least. Congress, underneath Speaker Johnson, appeared to begin toeing the line to Trump's new marching orders. This in conjunction with his new Secretary of State's mandate, Marc Rubio, the U.S. State Department issued a "stop-work" order on January 24th for all existing foreign assistance and paused new aid. President Donald Trump ordered a pause to review if aid allocation was aligned with his foreign policy. Only Egypt and Israel were given waivers for military financing.

With the spigot finally turned off, Zelensky will have to turn himself to the actual reality that he'll have to make good on his hints late last year after Trump's 2nd term win, that he'll concede some lost territory to Russia and give the war the ending it needs. Though he might face entirely different dire problems, after the bullets are swept up, and the birds fly back home for the sunnier skies brought forth, he'll have some tough financial inquiries to possibly answer for. Lord knows, Biden can't remember who, what, when or how much. Which begs the question: what really happened to rest of all that money? It brings me back to one of my favorite shows, Boardwalk Empire, where, the Treasury Secretary Andrew Melon, played with commanding and subtle presence by James Cromwell is asked by a special committee if the problems they are facing are one of two possibilities: A.) Gross incompetence B.) Widespread corruption His answer is simply sublime: "It is in my experience that human nature leaves ample room for both." Thanks to

@grok

for research support.