US arms to Ukraine still arriving but pipeline will go empty soon – KievPost

US weapons are still shipped to Ukraine, despite the ongoing US-Russia ceasefire talks. It seems that currently Ukraine has enough for keeping the war ongoing. But it looks like that the weapons provision from the US may soon be over.

Ukraine expects that the US weapons soon must be purchased with cash in advance. The free arms deliveries of the Biden war times are to be terminated. European and some other countries seemingly stepping up to fill the gap the US will leave by retreating from Ukraine.

If Ukraine can get the cash for US weapons there may be further deliveries – but who will pay?

The US Administration has made clear that Ukraine needs to pay for weapons – also for the past aid it had received from the US of about USD 350 billion.

But Ukraine disputes that it “owes” the US for $350 billion in support. The actual value of US assistance to Ukraine, some in the form of aid and some in the form of grants, is about one-third of the US claim and the Kiel Institute confirms it.

But what is that German Kiel Institute?

This Kiel Institute is financed by the German Government and receives also, from time to time, private grants (eg Gates Foundation). It has a liberal and globalist orientation and considers the new Trump Administration a disturbing factor.

The Kiel Institute has built a “Tracker for Ukraine Aid” and publishes data on aid sent to Ukraine since the conflict started in 2022. No data pre-2022 is available. For Ukraine aid data, the Kiel Institute is the main reference for the media and politics.

The Kiel Institute, considering the main financial source the German Government, may not be completely impartial. The amounts shipped to Ukraine have important political value and the difference in European and US aid has become a main discussion point between Europe and Donald Trump.

How is it possible that Donald Trump continuously claims that the US has provided Ukraine three times more aid than the Kiel Institute says?

While it is possible that there is a certain bias with the Kiel Institute which considers itself as liberal and globalist, a difference of USD 200-250 billions should need an explanation. While Donald Trump can obtain from his Administration all the data, he is also often criticized to exaggerate. But where is the 200-250 billion difference? How could Trump explain the difference? Or can the Kiel Institute explain it? Very possibly, the Kiel Institute has no classified data and information, no knowledge of secret provision of arms, money and intelligence. Still it is a long way to explain the Kiel Institute’s calculation difference from Trump’s claims.

Otherwise it is a fact that the 10 days of US suspending aid to Kiev was a shock and led to retreats on the battlefield. Europe was not able to replace the US. As such, the US aid must be considered as important and determinating for the Ukrainian conflict – if Trump exaggerates or not.