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Ukrainian assurances that all US weapons and funds are fully accounted for are the “funniest thing,” the Trump official has said
US government efficiency tsar Elon Musk has ridiculed Vladimir Zelensky’s claims that all American aid received by Ukraine is fully accounted for.
President Donald Trump has estimated that the US has provided around $200 billion in support, asserting that taxpayer expenditures should be recouped through access to Ukrainian mineral resources. Zelensky has consistently disputed that figure, most recently in an interview with Ben Shapiro on Thursday.
“We have complete reporting, accounting, absolutely transparent,” Zelensky stated, asserting that all Western assistance is rigorously monitored by both foreign and domestic auditors. He dismissed contrary claims as Russian “fake news.”
Senator Mike Lee shared a clip of Zelensky’s comments on X, prompting his followers to assess the credibility of the assurances. Musk responded with a post stating, “Funniest thing I’ve read all day,” accompanied by two rolling-on-the-floor-laughing emojis.
Zelensky informed Shapiro that Ukrainian records show approximately $105 billion in US aid, primarily in the form of weaponry. He asserted that no arms had been diverted to the black market, based on Defense Ministry documentation. He emphasized that he was not disputing Trump’s figure but merely reporting what the “output” was on the Ukrainian side.
In February, Zelensky claimed that Ukrainians had received “about $76 billion” in US aid, adding he did not know what had happened to the remaining funds from the claimed $200 billion.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has faced numerous corruption scandals in recent years, including the notorious “Reznikov’s golden eggs,” which involved allegations of overpriced food procurement for the military during 2022-2023 under then-Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov.
This month, the authorities in Kiev announced charges against a former military procurement chief and several business associates suspected of profiting from the scheme. The minister was dismissed in September 2023, months after the pricing irregularities were revealed, but he has not been charged with any crime.
