It was no coincidence that the US sent an additional $6 billion to Ukraine

US pledged tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine than any other country in the world – Since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.

Now, more than a year after the war began, news media that is report The Pentagon claimed it made an “accounting error” in providing aid to Ukraine.

Following these reports, Popular comedian and podcaster Terrence Williams claimed in a viral tweet He claimed that the US “accidentally” sent an additional $6 billion in aid to Ukraine. In a follow-up tweet, he wrote: He said the money was “stolen from the American people.”

VERIFY readers on TikTok also urged the team to clear up confusion over Ukraine’s $6 billion accounting error.

Did the US government mistakenly transfer an additional $6 billion to Ukraine?

No, the US government did not mistakenly send another $6 billion to Ukraine.

This viral claim completely takes what actually happened out of context. In fact, the US sent Ukraine about $6 billion less than it intended for military equipment, not more than $6 billion.

This is because the Pentagon overestimated the value of the military equipment being sent to the country, meaning it was worth about $6 billion less than originally estimated.

Since the war began, Congress has authorized more than $113 billion in aid and military aid to Ukraine. The Commission for a Responsible Federal Budget (CFPB) has revealed.. As of January 2023, the federal government has sent about $26 billion in direct military aid to Ukraine, including hardware, training and supplies, according to the CFPB.

When the United States sends weapons and other military equipment to Ukraine, it gives the equipment a monetary value.

But a Department of Defense (DOD) investigation revealed “inconsistent assessments of equipment destined for Ukraine,” said Sabrina Singh, deputy spokeswoman for the Pentagon. said at a press conference on June 20..

The accounting error caused the Pentagon to “overstate the value” of military equipment sent to Ukraine by $6.2 billion, Singh said. The Pentagon has not disclosed exactly what military equipment was sent to Ukraine.

In other words, the Pentagon found that the value of the equipment sent to Ukraine was actually $6.2 billion less than the Pentagon originally estimated.

The breakdown of that total is overvalued at $2.6 billion in 2022 and $3.6 billion in 2023, Singh said.

Michael O’Hanlon, a foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution, explained that the accounting error meant the federal government had an additional $6.2 billion to help Ukraine in the future.

Singh also said the $6.2 billion would “go back into the money pot” allocated by the federal government to aid Ukraine.