Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s steadily increasing presence in the 2024 presidential race has included several bold and antagonizing political statements, including on U.S. involvement in Ukraine.
This week, the Democratic hopeful said participation in the war is "terrible for the Ukrainian people," arguing that "the way that we have conducted the war is bad."
In another encounter this week, during what was billed as a TV town hall, he claimed that the U.S. had sent $113 billion directly to Ukraine, springboarding from that claim to question whether spending ought to be reined in.
The Claim
On a NewsNation town hall on June 28, 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed that the U.S. was "sending" $113 billion to Ukraine.
He said: "The debt this year is going to cost us $660 billion, more than a half a trillion dollars, just a service on the debt. We're not going to end that problem overnight, but we've got to recognize that we've got to stop—you know, we've got to stop. We're sending $113 billion to the Ukraine."
The Facts
In a technical sense, Kennedy is correct. In total, Congress has allocated $113 billion in a combination of mostly military, government and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since last year, according to the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General.
However, that entire amount has not been sent to Ukraine, as the Democratic hopeful claims.
As Newsweek has reported regarding other misleading claims around spending in Ukraine, the total figure includes spending that will not go directly to the country.
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which scrutinizes Ukraine spending using its Ukraine Support Tracker tool, reported that a "large portion" of the $113 billion "will not flow directly to Ukraine but is instead allocated towards a broad variety of spending purposes."
A working document for the tracker states: "Examples include spending for preemptive natural disaster funds, research on military or nuclear purposes, the prevention of terrorism and cybercrime, national infrastructure investments, large-scale purchases of military goods intended to remain in the US...or funds devoted to host Ukrainian refugees in the US."
In its calculation, Kiel does not include $17 billion earmarked for European command operations, $5 billion for neighboring countries but not Ukraine, and nearly $12 billion in commitments that were unused and therefore expired. Its exclusions result in a revised direct spend of around $77 billion.
Arguably, some of the funding that Kiel says has not gone directly to Ukraine may still benefit Ukraine. What it does show, however, is that the full $113 billion has not been sent directly to Kyiv, as Kennedy suggests.
Newsweek has reached out to a representative for RFK Jr. via email for comment.
The Ruling
Needs Context.
While Congress has allocated $113 billion worth of spending toward Ukraine, analysis of that spending shows that a significant proportion will not go directly to Kyiv.
Analysis by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks U.S. spending in Ukraine, has suggested the total direct spend to be around $77 billion.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
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