The Russia-Ukraine war: Western weapons and aid for Ukraine

US funding and weapons commitments grew during 2022. Congress approved $13.6 billion for Ukraine in March and $40 billion in May.^[15][16] President Joe Biden announced military packages worth $800 million each, and Washington began supplying medium-range rocket systems.^[17][18][19] In August, the administration prepared about $3 billion to train and equip Ukrainian forces over the longer term.^[20] A $1.8 billion package announced that December included the first US commitment of a Patriot missile battery.^[21] Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv in February 2023.^[22]

Decisions about particular weapons often involved prolonged negotiations. Germany initially resisted pressure to supply Leopard 2 tanks before joining the United States in committing tanks in January 2023.^[23][24] Poland delivered its first Leopard 2s on the invasion's first anniversary, while Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands pledged at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 tanks.^[25][26] The Biden administration approved cluster munitions in July 2023, and deliveries followed within days.^[27][28] Putin said Russia had its own stockpile and reserved the right to respond in kind.^[29]

A dispute over US border policy delayed a further round of aid. Biden asked Congress in October 2023 for more than $100 billion covering Ukraine, Israel and other priorities, including border security.^[30] By December, the White House warned that money for Ukraine was running out, while Senate Republicans demanded changes to border policy.^[31][32] A $118 billion compromise unveiled in February 2024 paired foreign aid with new border rules, but Republicans blocked it.^[33][34]

Aid proposals then advanced separately. EU leaders approved a roughly $54 billion package in February 2024 after Hungary dropped its veto.^[3] The US Senate passed a $95.3 billion foreign-aid bill that month.^[35] In April, the House approved its own roughly $95 billion package with support from Democrats and Republicans. The Senate passed the measure, and Biden signed it into law.^[36][1]

Trump paused US military aid in March 2025 after his White House argument with Zelenskyy, seeking to press Ukraine toward peace talks.^[2] Following another pause affecting some shipments, he said in July that Washington would send more weapons, including Patriot air-defense systems through a NATO arrangement that Trump said the allies would pay for.^[4] In July 2026 he said the United States would license Ukrainian production of Patriot interceptors; Zelenskyy said in September that Trump had told him a final decision had been made.^[5][6] In October, the administration warned Ukraine and European allies that it could suspend intelligence sharing and European purchases of US weapons for Ukraine if Kyiv did not halt its strikes on Russian energy facilities, CNN reported,^[7] and a source told CNN that Ukraine had run out of Patriot interceptors.^[8] Later that month, Zelenskyy said the United States had resumed sharing intelligence and early warnings about Russian strikes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been no pause.^[37][38] Zelenskyy also accused the United States of delaying deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles.^[39]

Starlink, the satellite internet service of Elon Musk's SpaceX, has been part of that support since early in the war. In March 2022, Musk said it would not block Russian state media in Ukraine,^[40] and in October 2022 he told the Pentagon SpaceX could not keep paying for Ukraine's service indefinitely, then said it would keep funding it.^[41] In October 2026, reports that Musk had slowed Ukraine's military version, Starshield, drew bipartisan calls to restore full access,^[42] the administration gave mixed messages about the limits,^[43] and Zelenskyy said the network was still not fully working despite Trump's assurances.^[44] The fighting itself is covered in the separate front-line arc. In late October, the State Department approved the potential sale of 500 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, worth $2.1 billion.^[45] After Democrats won control of Congress in the November midterms, Zelenskyy said the chances of additional US aid had increased and that Ukraine needed to consolidate bipartisan support.^[46][47]