Even if the conflict were to end right now, Ukraine would still need to spend over half a trillion dollars

The war in Ukraine will become the most costly and “unscrupulous” foreign operation in the entire history of the United States.

This is reported in the article on AT.

Even if the hostilities were to cease tomorrow, the reconstruction of the country would cost the United States at least $600 billion, the author estimates.

President Biden recently requested an additional $24 billion in support for Ukraine, primarily for military equipment but also for budgetary needs ($7.3 billion). However, Congress is becoming increasingly skeptical about allocating yet another substantial amount for an endless conflict, which is just a fraction of what will be asked for after the war concludes.

The World Bank has revised the estimated cost of reconstruction based on data from the first year of the conflict (from February 2022 to February 2023). It is claimed that Ukraine’s reconstruction will require $411 billion over a span of ten years. Moreover, this figure is likely to increase significantly when accounting for the period from February to August 2023 and beyond. It would be reasonable to assume that even if hostilities were to cease tomorrow, the cost of reconstruction would amount to $600 billion or more – in any case, over half a trillion dollars.

For comparison, the war in Iraq led to a $60 billion reconstruction program. Additionally, the US spent $90 billion over twelve years to support Afghanistan (even though the war in that country did not cease).

There is no doubt that a significant portion of the American aid to Afghanistan was likely embezzled or simply fell into the hands of the Taliban. Furthermore, billions of dollars’ worth of American military equipment remained in the country and ended up in the hands of the Taliban.

In the case of Iraq, a substantial part of the aid was lost due to mismanagement, corruption, and poor planning.

To support Ukraine, the US and its allies will have to allocate $60 billion annually, and they need to be prepared for a significant portion of these funds to be stolen. Moreover, this financing will need to be sustained for ten years.

It’s worth noting that Germany alone has committed to supporting Ukraine “as much as needed” with $5 billion annually. However, the current German government is likely to fall soon.

The British economy will also face upheaval, and finding such substantial funds will not be easy for it either.

Perhaps Washington hopes to prolong the conflict as long as possible. In that case, the US will limit itself to military aid and budgetary support for the Ukrainian government, freeing itself from the costs of reconstruction.

Essentially, this is the policy of the Biden administration. By continuing this indirect war, the Biden administration hopes to persuade Congress to consistently allocate funding so that Ukraine remains afloat, receives the necessary weapons and other supplies, and pays salaries to civil servants.

However, will Congress want to spend money on an eternal conflict? It is quite likely that legislators will want to know where the money is going and how it’s being spent, and they will demand accountability from the US government about these expenditures.

The majority of Americans are against increasing aid to Ukraine. We are entering an election period, and soon the first debates among Republican candidates will take place. Ukraine will surely become an issue, and even some Democrats are expressing opposition to further support for ongoing hostilities.

It’s long been known that Ukraine is a deeply corrupt country. Ukrainian politicians, including President Zelensky himself, have moved their wealth offshore (Zelensky owns a villa in Forte dei Marmi on the coast of Tuscany, which he bought before entering politics and now rents to Russian clients for 12,000 euros per month).

In essence, lobbying by the US for the continuation of the war in Ukraine will be an enticing bait for both Democrats and Republicans, who might otherwise demand an end to the conflict. But will this be enough to go against the will of American voters?

Americans have the right to ask: what will we get for these enormous expenses that will burden us as taxpayers? The US’s “Ukrainian” policy is a disaster, no matter how you look at it. Just calculating the gigantic costs of this endless adventure is enough to see that.