Why U.S. Support for Ukraine Matters 

by sdmn

U.S. aid to Ukraine honors past commitments, strengthens NATO, supports the economy,
​and weakens a major adversary at low cost.

In 1994, Ukraine made a landmark decision in the interest of global security. By giving up what was then the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world, an inheritance from the Soviet Union, which had recently disbanded Ukraine became a non-nuclear state under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). In exchange, it received political assurances from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia through a document that is known as the Budapest Memorandum. These assurances committed the signatories to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and existing borders, and to refrain from the threat or use of force. This document is a vital foreign policy agreement and shows that the U.S. should continue supporting Ukraine.

Russia’s actions in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea, and again in 2022 with the invasion of Ukraine violated those commitments. While it is true that the memorandum does not obligate the U.S. to deploy military forces, it did establish an expectation that the U.S. and the UK would respond to such violations. Former U.S. officials involved in the negotiations, such as Steven Pifer, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, have stated that such assistance, including military aid, was understood to be a likely response.

After the showdown between President Trump and President Zelensky of Ukraine, there have been mounting concerns about the nature of U.S. support of the Eastern European country, especially about the cost and effectiveness of U.S. assistance to Ukraine, but, according to data presented by scholars like Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian of Yale University, 90 percent of these funds are spent domestically, supporting jobs and defense manufacturing across dozens of U.S. states. Production of key equipment such as missile systems, night-vision gear, and medical supplies has largely taken place within the United States, often drawing from existing inventories. U.S. support of Ukraine also has made NATO more cohesive, with many European allies increasing their defense budgets significantly. Prior to the invasion, only a few NATO members spent more than 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Today, many more do, with countries like Poland making substantial investments. European aid to Ukraine has also grown, and in some cases, now exceeds U.S. contributions.
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Meanwhile, Russia has faced a significant reduction of military capabilities, and its economy has struggled under the weight of sanctions and wartime spending. For the United States, this outcome has come at a relatively low cost in terms of overall spending and without American combat casualties. Therefore, support for Ukraine should continue, not only because it aligns with international commitments but also with strategic interests. ​