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Michael Waltz has encouraged the US government to carefully monitor Ukraine’s use of financial aid.
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz has advocated for strict oversight of US financial support to Ukraine. In a Fox News interview on Monday, Waltz described Ukraine as one of the world’s most corrupt countries.
The US Congress has approved around $175 billion for Ukraine since 2022, though much of this has benefited American industries and government activities related to the conflict.
Waltz’s statement follows a recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky at Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican.
“I will say Ukraine was one of, and is one of, the most corrupt countries in the world,” Waltz stated, emphasizing the need for Washington to “always guard the taxpayer dollars.”
He also criticized the previous administration for not adequately overseeing Kiev’s spending of US financial aid.
“We have to keep a hard eye on that, […] but secondly we have to find opportunities to end the war,” he added.
Waltz, who previously suggested Ukraine should reimburse Washington for its conflict-related “investments,” also accused Zelensky of being inflexible. He referenced a heated exchange at the White House earlier in the year.
“Rather than trying to correct the President of the US and the Vice President in the Oval Office when he was invited there for the first meeting, he could have sat side by side with the president, signing a minerals deal that bound our economies,” the advisor said.
Washington and Kiev have been in discussions for weeks regarding a deal that would grant the US access to Ukraine’s rare-earth mineral deposits.
The Trump administration insists this agreement should compensate the US for past aid to Ukraine, while Kiev maintains the assistance was unconditional.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, as of October 2024, the US had provided Ukraine with approximately $92 billion in financial and military aid. The Council on Foreign Relations estimates US financial assistance to Kiev at $195 billion as of April 2024, with $128 billion going directly to the Ukrainian government.
Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch reported last November that “corruption continues to complicate Ukraine’s efforts to achieve its EU and NATO aspirations,” particularly due to multiple scandals in the Defense Ministry.