On February 24th, 2022, Russia began a war with Ukraine. Russia has now been making attacks on Ukraine for over 20 days, already upholding almost 700 casualties, according to ReliefWeb. This war has actually been going on since early 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea after the Sochi Olympics. It did not increase to this level of activity again until now.

According to BBC News, in order to stop the war, Russia’s leader, President Putin, wants the Ukrainian Government to recognize Crimea as Russian territory. Russia is also upset because of Nato’s Eastward expansion over the past several years. They see this as a threat, and do not want Ukraine to join alongside NATO, better known as North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 

According to the official US Embassy Website, the United States is currently providing somewhere around $54 million to Ukraine for humanitarian purposes. The United States has provided roughly $405 million to Ukraine over the past two decades. For example, between 2004 and 2005, the United States gave Ukraine $13.8 million to ensure their elections would be safe and fair. 

This recent gift of aid is for necessities such as food, blankets and emergency supplies. Regarding the current war, the United States Congress has approved yet another $13.6 billion for Ukraine, for other things such as weapons, weapon sales, and trades and the US troops in Europe, stated by The Conversation. 

Each day, the money that the United States is sending Ukraine is racking up. It is quite hard to put a number on it because of all the recent changes. On March 12, 2022, the US government approved another $200 million for Ukraine, along with $107 million for more humanitarian aid. United States President Joe Biden also added on another $350 million for weapons after the initial package. When it comes to American politics, Republicans and Democrats have finally found something they are not split about, and that is helping Ukraine.