Ukraine Says U.S. Money Not Going to Ukraine, ‘Benefiting American Interests’

The $113 billion sent to Ukraine so far for its war against Russia is apparently not actually going to Ukraine, but is really “benefiting American interests,” a spokesperson for Ukraine told Breitbart News.

The shock claim was in response to a request for information by Breitbart News on whether or not any American tax dollars had gone specifically to Uman, a city in the war-torn Eastern European nation that is currently seeing a condo built on a Jewish mass grave, as previously reported, in violation of a bilateral agreement with the U.S., and in violation of international law.

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Breitbart reported on January 10 that a city in Ukraine is proceeding with building a condo on a Jewish mass grave, despite three letters from members of Congress from both parties to the Ukrainian government demanding the cemetery be protected.

Replying to an inquiry about whether or not U.S. dollars are going to the city where this is taking place, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy told Breitbart that “funds authorized by American lawmakers to support Ukraine’s armament are not directly allocated to Ukraine” — after claiming the Ukrainian Embassy “did not receive” a request sent by Breitbart News eight months ago for information on the construction project, which requires desecrating the remains of victims of the 1768 Haidamacks massacre.

The spokesperson explained that, instead, a “significant portion” of the billions of dollars to Ukraine is “utilized in the United States for the construction of new weapons or to replenish those dispatched to Kyiv from U.S. reserves,” adding that “an analysis” (not specifically cited) found that “nearly 90 percent” of aid granted by Congress “is benefiting American interests.” The email continues, “The allocation of funds doesn’t imply immediate expenditure.”

“American interests” in this context presumably means weapons manufacturers.

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Nellis Air Force Base via Storyful

The Associated Press reported Sunday that employees from a Ukrainian arms firm “conspired with defense ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million” allocated for weapons purchases.

The news comes months after the New York Times reported on the sacking of Ukraine’s minister of defense due to “graft” and “financial mismanagement” in the department, amid an avalanche of cash coming from the United States to fund the beleaguered war effort, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asks for more.

The Times report said some prepayments for weapons had “vanished” in the bank accounts of weapons dealers, among “about $980 million in weapons contracts” that “missed their delivery dates,” in 2023.

As Breitbart previously reported, in October 2021 a letter was sent to Zelensky personally by Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Jerry Nadler (D-NY), expressing “concern” about “desecration” of a Jewish cemetery in Uman, “in violation of existing cultural heritage protection agreements,” emphasizing that “[the] cemetery and other important historical and culturally significant sites are provided with legal protection under the 1994 bilateral agreement between the United States and Ukraine on Protecting and Preserving Cultural Heritage.”

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The White House / YouTube

Later that same month, another letter addressed to Zelensky personally was sent by Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Susan Wild (D-PA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), raising alarm about the cemetery’s “destruction” and “desecration,” again reiterating that the action is in “violation of the 1994 bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine on ‘Protecting and Preserving Cultural Heritage,’” and President Obama’s “Protect Cemeteries Act of 2014,” ensuring that the “International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 accounts for the desecration of cemeteries as ‘an assault on the fundamental right to freedom of religious,’ … ‘especially egregious when… tolerated by the local or national governments in the countries in which such offenses occur.’”

The next year, in September 2022, a letter signed by 23 members of Congress was sent to Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba to raise the issue of “several illegal construction projects … continuing unabated within the protected zones of the burial place of Tzadik Nachman of Breslov … despite stop work orders.” The letter stated the lawmakers “look forward to hearing from you on steps to stop the illegal construction in Uman.”

However, according to photos obtained by Breitbart of the project location this month, construction of the condo is moving forward, using “Doosan” equipment from South Korea.

When reached for comment, the Ukrainian Embassy insisted this was a “city council” issue, despite the bilateral agreement regarding the preservation of cemeteries signed by the Ukrainian president and the 3 letters from U.S. Congress addressed to the president and foreign affairs minister.

The annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published by non-profit Transparency International, scored Ukraine 33 out of 100 in 2022, which put the country near the bottom third of 180 countries scored.

The Biden administration is now seeking an additional $64 billion for Ukraine aid — or, “American interests” — but is facing resistance from Congress.

Emma-Jo Morris is the Politics Editor at Breitbart News. Email her at ejmorris@breitbart.com or follow her on Twitter.