Ukraine open to buying US military aid package for $50 billion, Zelensky says
Ukraine is ready to pay up to $50 billion for a future military aid package from the U.S., President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on April 9.
Zelensky's statement came as future U.S. aid to Kyiv remains uncertain amid President Donald Trump's major shift in the country's policy on the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump has permitted the continued flow of assistance approved by former U.S. President Joe Biden – except for a brief halt on all military aid in March – but has yet to sign off on any new packages.
According to Zelensky, the funds allocated to help Ukraine under the Biden administration have not yet been exhausted, but Kyiv wants an additional package from the Trump administration.
"We handed over to the American side a large package that we want to buy. To buy in one form or another," the president said.
"Many different formats and tools that we are ready for. We were ready to find both $30 billion and $50 billion for a suitable package."
Ukraine sees the purchase of the aid package that would include air defense systems and other much needed arms as a potential security guarantee from Washington.
"There is an agreement, we are giving money. Accordingly, (if) you want (we can pay) either to this (Reconstruction Investment) Fund, or to you (the U.S.) directly. It makes no difference to us," Zelensky said.
U.S. military assistance to Kyiv has decreased, with European countries now providing the main portion of aid, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Washington has been Kyiv's leading military donor throughout the full-scale war. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the U.S. has provided $119.8 billion in aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, including $67.1 billion in military aid, $49 billion in financial aid, and $3.6 billion in humanitarian support.
Following Zelensky's heated meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, Washington briefly suspended all intelligence sharing as well existing military aid deliveries worth billions of dollars.
Dominic Culverwell
