In the roughly four months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States spent more money keeping Russia at bay than it did in the first five years of the Afghan conflict.
Overall, the United States has promised at least $54 billion in spending related to the war, some to support NATO nations, part to support Ukraine through “tradition channels” and other funding to support U.S. military in Europe, according to Fox News.
Direct military-related spending on the Ukraine war has reached $8 billion.
According to ForeignAssistance.gov, through 2006 the United States spent $7.4 billion in the first five years of its fight against the Taliban. The peak year for costs was 2011 when the U.S. spent $11.4 billion in its 20-year war that ended with the debacle of the evacuation from Kabul last summer.
Americans are divided about the cost of the war.
Trending:
Helping Ukraine win is CHEAP compared to the enormous cost of appeasement
— Paul Massaro (@apmassaro3) July 1, 2022
Who else is pissed off that Biden is sending billions and billions to the Ukraine, when America is going through a cost of living crisis?
— Food for thought (@fd4thought9) July 10, 2022
Should the U.S. continue to support Ukraine?
Although Ukraine defied expectations Russia would win a lightning war, the current efforts by Russia in part of Ukraine are paying off. Russia has solidified control of most of Luhansk Province in eastern Ukraine and is currently seeking to seize neighboring Donetsk Province, according to The New York Times.
A Saturday rocket attack on one village in Donetsk Province reportedly killed 15 people when an apartment complex was hit.
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Ukraine: 15 dead in rocket attack on apartment building (from @AP) https://t.co/GNAeR33lsS— Ken McCafferty (@kenm77) July 10, 2022
The Kharkiv region, also in the eastern part of Ukraine, is in danger of being annexed to Russia, according to The Washington Post.
Ukraine, while giving ground in the east, is preparing to regain ground lost in the south.
Iryna Vereshchuk, a deputy prime minister of Ukraine, urged Ukrainian civilians living in the region of Kherson to evacuate.
“You need to find a way to leave, because our armed forces are coming to deoccupy,” she said, according to the Times. “There will be a massive fight. I do not want to scare you, but I want you to understand.”
Do we want a turning point in the war? 3 components… HIMARS for high-precision targeting rear bases, logistics. Heavy artillery on the frontline allows matching number parity. APC for “breakthrough fists”… More tools faster we’ll clean our land of the Russians.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) July 9, 2022
On Saturday, Russian President Volodymyr Zelenskyyy said Russia can only be stopped from attacking villages at will with “high-precision and potent” weapons, according to the Post.
During his speech, he thanked the U.S. for a $400 million chunk of assistance released Friday.
Heavy artillery, like High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, are among the items Ukraine wanted to attack Russian installations beyond the front lies.
