How Does the U.S. Benefit from the War in Ukraine?

Photo by Tiraya Adam on Unsplash

According to the U.S. State Department, since 2014, the United States has provided approximately $20.6 billion in security assistance for training and equipment to “help Ukraine preserve its territorial integrity, secure its borders, and improve interoperability with NATO.”

And since the most recent Russian invasion began, the Biden administration has sent thousands of moderately advanced weapon systems and munitions to help Ukrainians kill Russians.

The question is why?

If your answer is, “It’s the right thing to do” then, you are absolutely right. But that doesn’t mean that the U.S. isn’t the beneficiary of other tangible benefits.

Americans are transactional by nature. It’s not our fault — for good or ill, our entire society is structured on the pillars of capitalism.

If U.S. taxpayers are sending $20+ billion to help Ukraine repel Russia, what are they getting for their money?

First, there is a political component at play

Searing images and reports of atrocities in Ukraine in the early days of the invasion sparked outrage in the U.S.

People demanded that Biden take action.

I find this mildly humorous. When Russia invaded in 2022, Americans who could…