© EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MEO And a significant portion of American money remained within the US economy.
The former United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, stated that assertions that allies were “exploiting” the US by aiding Ukraine are inaccurate, given that European nations and others have committed even greater financial resources to back Kyiv than the US itself.
Blinken conveyed this message during a public address at an event hosted by the Economic Club of New York, while discussing Western assistance for Ukraine.
“For each dollar we invested in Ukraine, European countries and others invested one and a half dollars. Therefore, the assertion that they capitalized on the situation in Ukraine is simply not true,” he underlined.
The former leader of American foreign policy also highlighted that a considerable portion of the funds that the United States allocated to support Ukraine, in reality, remained within the borders of the American economy.
“And a noteworthy share of the funds we allocated to Ukraine was essentially utilized here within the United States — whether it involved procuring weapons systems for them or restoring the reserves of systems that we had provided to them,” Blinken elaborated.
He also commended the advancement of the Ukrainian defense industry and Ukraine’s aptitude for adapting to contemporary warfare. According to Blinken, Ukraine has, in fact, taken the lead in the sphere of military technology and has started to influence trends, even for NATO partners.
“This is remarkable,” he observed, commenting on the speed of development of Ukrainian drone technology and novel solutions for the battlefield.
Blinken further pointed out that Russia’s conflict against Ukraine has acted as a catalyst for transformation within Western militaries, which are now compelled to swiftly adjust their own defensive strategies to align with the emerging realities of modern combat.