What assistance has the United States provided to Ukraine since 2014?
The victory of the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014 and the simultaneous commencement of Russian aggression against Ukraine redefined the nature of American support for this strategically important nation.
Since the 1990s, the bulk of US assistance to Ukraine was aimed at promoting economic and governance reforms, as well as supporting humanitarian causes. The FREEDOM Support Act of 1992—FREEDOM standing for Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets—defined the main parameters of this American effort and, since the late 1990s, Ukraine, alone among the post-Soviet states, has been its largest beneficiary. A significant part of US support consisted of loan guarantees and targeted funding for economic development projects. Ukraine also received substantial financial support from international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, in which the United States and its allies exercised significant influence. Only a small share of Western funding went to army reform in Ukraine.All this changed in 2014. Consistent American political support of Ukraine's sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders became the most important aspect of bilateral relations. The Obama and Trump administrations, as well as Congress and the Senate, delivered on this promise, which often involved leading by example the more reluctant European allies. Unambiguous American condemnation of the Russian invasion and the annexation of the Crimea, as well as the subsequent imposition of sanctions on Russia, constituted just the kind of political support for which the new Ukrainian authorities had hoped. At the same time, the United States, together with such allies as the United Kingdom and Canada, changed the structure of their respective assistance programs for Ukraine by beefing up their security and militaryassistance components.
American support for Ukraine's economic development and political reforms remained significant, constituting on average $380 million per year between 2015 and 2018. But the amount of military support between 2014 and June 2019 was just as impressive, with an estimated total of $1.5 billion. The United States has supplied the Ukrainian army with such essential military equipment as command-and-control systems, counter-artillery radars, and field hospitals. While the Obama administration stopped short of extending this list to lethal weapons, under Trump the State Department approved in 2018 the sale to Ukraine of 210 Javelin anti-tank portable missiles complete with launchers.9 Although these are reportedly stored away from the front zone, American- and Canadian-made sniper rifles have been distributed to the troops. The delivery of the Javelins had major symbolic significance. Ukraine does produce a similar anti-tank weapon of its own, the RK- 3 Korsar, but the arrival of Javelins signified that American support for Ukrainian sovereignty was now on a whole different level. The Javelins also act as a deterrent of sorts in the conflict, which in its early stages saw the widespread use of Russian tanks.
Another major component of the American contribution to Ukraine's defensive capabilities has been training. Since 2015, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada (with smaller contributions from other European allies) have been operating a major military training program at the Yavoriv training field near the Ukrainian-Polish border, far away from the Donbas. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and officers have gone through this intensive program. The United States has also led the Western effort to support the reform of the Ukrainian military and security fields. Together with other allied and partner countries, US troops participate in regular small-scale military exercises in Ukraine, Rapid Trident for the ground forces and Sea Breeze for the navy. These annual events help advance the training of the Ukrainian troops, and they also act as a deterrent to Russia's potentially more aggressive moves in the region. Finally, in the wake of Russia's aggression in 2014, the United States started providing vital intelligence and cybersecurity support to Ukraine.
Presently, crucial sectors of the Ukrainian economy and defense rely on American support, which also serves an important symbolic function by encouraging Ukrainian reformers and deterring possible further Russian aggression. Cutting off or delaying US aid in the middle of the ongoing war in the Donbas could seriously weaken the Ukrainian defense capabilities and reform programs. Doing so would also send a confusing message to US allies in the region and beyond.