Why Zelenskiy Joined Trump in Trashing Germany
The U.S. and the EU both do a lot for Ukraine, but in their own special ways.
Stolen kisses.
Photographer: Andrew Parsons /Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump complained on his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in July that the U.S. was providing more assistance to Ukraine than Europe. That’s not quite true – and yet Zelenskiy didn’t contradict Trump, even when the U.S. president said, “Germany does almost nothing for you – all they do is talk.” He had good reasons for that, beyond simply trying to be nice to a powerful conversation partner who is known to like flattery.
A linear comparison of the U.S. and European support efforts for Ukraine is impossible because of the chaotic way in which U.S. and EU sources release data on it. But the available sources do provide some insights.
According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, all departments of the U.S. federal government have provided about $2.1 billion in direct financial assistance to Ukraine in fiscal years 2014 through 2019 – that is, since Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was deposed. (The agency, however, doesn’t have complete data for 2018 and 2019.) Data from other sources – the government website Foreignassistance.gov and the Washington-based Center for International Policy’s Security Assistance Monitor – add up to about $2.7 billion for the same period.