Category Aid to Ukraine

Where Is the Missing $100 Billion in U.S. Aid for Ukraine?

On February 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said he had only received $75 billion of the $175 billion the United States had spent on Ukraine. The cry went up, what happened to the other $100 billion? Was it lost or stolen? The answer is no. Only part of the aid goes through Ukrainian control. A large part pays for activities as a result of the war but not to Ukraine directly. These include the United States training of Ukrainian forces, global humanitarian assistance, additional costs of U.S. surge forces in Europe, and intelligence support for both NATO and Ukraine.

As CSIS has reported before, "aid to Ukraine" is a misnomer because 90 percent of military aid is spent in the United States. Of aid overall, 60 percent is spent in the United States, about 25 percent is spent in Ukraine, and the final 15 percent is spent globally.

Read MoreWhere Is the Missing $100 Billion in U.S. Aid for Ukraine?

False claims USAID paid celebs to visit Ukraine linked to Russian disinformation campaign

WHAT WAS CLAIMED: E! News published a video stating celebrities received funds from USAID to visit Ukraine.

OUR VERDICT: False. The video is fake and there's no evidence USAID funded the visits.

Read MoreFalse claims USAID paid celebs to visit Ukraine linked to Russian disinformation campaign

Fake: USAID Funded Hollywood Celebrities’ Visits to Ukraine During War – E!News

The E!News portal never published such a story, and the widely circulated news is fake, debunked by both the media and the celebrities who visited Ukraine.

Read MoreFake: USAID Funded Hollywood Celebrities’ Visits to Ukraine During War – E!News

Musk amplifies fake report claiming USAID paid celebrities to support Zelensky

Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr and other prominent conservatives are sharing a video that claims to show E! News reporting that the US's humanitarian agency paid millions of dollars to celebrities including Angelina Jolie and Ben Stiller to visit Ukraine and help boost President Volodymyr Zelensky's popularity amid the country's war with Russia. But the clip is not an authentic report, a spokesperson for the entertainment news channel told AFP, and Stiller has publicly rejected the allegations as false.

Read MoreMusk amplifies fake report claiming USAID paid celebrities to support Zelensky

PolitiFact | Zelenskyy’s statement about Ukraine aid didn’t reveal money laundering operation

Much of the money the U.S. has dedicated for Ukraine aid is spent in the U.S. on domestic weapons manufacturers and U.S. military and government operations.

Direct military support to Ukraine totaled about $70 billion out of the $175 billion Congress has appropriated.

The money isn't being laundered, it's being spent as Congress intended.

Read MorePolitiFact | Zelenskyy’s statement about Ukraine aid didn’t reveal money laundering operation

Misleading claims on insurance, Ukraine aid, and ocean water use in wildfires

The claim that the LA Fire Department (LAFD) was impacted in its ability to fight the recent wildfires due to its donations to Ukraine was also promoted by writer and entrepreneur John LeFevre (archived here), who linked donations to Ukraine to current resource shortages.

In March 2022, during the early stages of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fire departments across California, including Los Angeles County, donated some surplus equipment sitting in storage, including hoses, nozzles, helmets, gloves, boots, and other personal protective gear, as well as medical supplies. The donation did not include any critical equipment or heavy machinery.

There is no suggestion that the previous donations to Ukraine have impacted this particular situation.

Read MoreMisleading claims on insurance, Ukraine aid, and ocean water use in wildfires

Biden urged aid for Israel, Ukraine. He didn’t declare World War III

A video in a recent Facebook post cobbles together quotes from an Oct. 19 address by President Joe Biden as evidence that the commander in chief has confirmed World War III is underway.

President Joe Biden urged aid for Israel and Ukraine in a recent primetime address; he didn't declare World War III.

We rate claims Biden confirmed World War III on live TV - or anywhere - False.

Read MoreBiden urged aid for Israel, Ukraine. He didn’t declare World War III

Fake: Biden Says Money For The Deaths of Ukrainians is an United States’ Investment

Biden was not referring to investments in "killing Ukrainians" or the American military-industrial complex, as the Russian media wrote. The president was talking about investing in the security and stability of the democratic world. Biden noted that when terrorists do not pay the price for their terror, and dictators do not pay for their aggression, they cause even more chaos, death and destruction, triggering a chain of unpunished cruelty around the world.

The American President emphasized that there is a direct link between Ukraine's victory in the Russian war and the well-being of American citizens. Biden emphasized that if we do not stop dictator Putin and his ilk now, after Ukraine and Israel, they will move on to other countries – the NATO countries, including the United States.

Read MoreFake: Biden Says Money For The Deaths of Ukrainians is an United States’ Investment

FACT CHECK: Breaking Down Nikki Haley’s Claim About Ukraine Aid Spending | Check Your Fact

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' International Security Program:

"Measured by percentage of GDP, the United States at .3% is behind most European countries, with 30 others ahead of the United States. Measured as a percentage of the defense budget, military aid to Ukraine (excluding humanitarian assistance, economic support, and money going to other US agencies) comes to about 3.5% of the defense budget over the two fiscal years of the war. This may be the 3.5% that Haley referred to. I don't have comparisons to other countries. The number needs to be handle cautiously, however, because all the Ukraine aid was added to the budget and did not come out of DoD base budget."

"Bottom line: measured by dollars, the United States is far ahead of other countries. Measured by level of effort, percentage of GDP, many countries exceed the US effort," Cancian added.

Read MoreFACT CHECK: Breaking Down Nikki Haley’s Claim About Ukraine Aid Spending | Check Your Fact