Hegseth's words about Ukraine versus data. Result? A lot is wrong
During the April 29 hearing in which Pete Hegseth defended the record-high budget request for 2027 for the US military, amounting to as much as USD 1 trillion. (approx. PLN 6 trillion), the confrontational Pete Hegseth referred to the issue of Ukraine and Russia only briefly.
However, almost everything he said on the subject was verifiable as false, and some parts of his statements bordered on perjury to a federal institution.
The editors of the Kyiv Post newspaper point out five moments where the narrative begins to diverge from the facts. Because, as usual, the devil is in the details – and there are plenty of them here.
The most obvious departure from the truth came in two exchanges, one of which came 48 minutes into the nearly six-hour hearing, as Hegseth was answering a question about the Trump administration's Ukraine policy.
Rep. Adam Smith (Democratic Party, Washington State): A year ago you said that Ukraine had no advantages and should conclude an agreement. As you can see, this was not confirmed. What did you miss? Have you really failed to see what Ukraine has been capable of over the last 14 months?
Hegseth: One thing we haven't missed – and that's why we're on this committee today – is that Joe Biden, without any accountability, has given hundreds of billions of dollars in our weapons to Ukraine. And this development would never have happened if Donald Trump had been president. So he withdrew our… but you're not talking about that. Ultimately, President Trump believes that there should be a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine that will be beneficial to both sides.
A few minutes later, the secretary added: “I think the Ukrainians have shown great courage, and I appreciate that Europe is now paying for every weapon we supply them with.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies on the Pentagon's budget request, Washington, April 29, 2026.PAP/EPA/LUKE JOHNSON / PAP
Okay. 2 hours and 40 minutes into the hearing, Hegseth provided more details on the estimated scale of total U.S. support for Ukraine.
Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (Republican Party, Florida): Finally, a few more questions. Do you know how much money we spent in Ukraine? To help Ukraine?
Hegseth: During the previous administration?
Gimenez: No, total so far.
Hegseth: Up to USD 300 billion. (approx. PLN 1 trillion 200 billion).
Hegseth's Claim: The Biden Administration Transferred Weapons to Ukraine Without Any Checks
That's not true.
In fact, the Biden administration implemented an audit system that worked. Yes, some gaps and ambiguities were detected – and this was documented within the supervision system itself.
Training with the participation of American soldiers and HIMARS launchers at the Fort McCoy training ground in Wisconsin, USA, August 25, 2025.Amanda Clark / DVIDS
More than 400 specialists in the U.S., Europe and Ukraine analyzed stockpiles, and members of the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) conducted field inspections.
A 2022 report found the tracking system was inadequate and its audit was deemed unsuccessful. In turn, the findings from 2023 and 2024 indicated that the equipment usually reached end users, although its records still left much to be desired. Not all systems were monitored, some documentation was missing, and the purpose of some expenses was not fully clear.
The Ukrainian authorities, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, have been emphasizing for years that the status of American weapons is closely monitored – down to the level of individual units – because it is a matter of national security.
After disclosing gaps in the 2023-2024 audits, Zelensky indicated that the problem resulted from the fact that the White House – for security reasons – did not allow American inspectors to visit frontline units.
As a result, the EEUM system considered some weapons items as “potentially missing”, although in fact they were simply too close to the front line to be checked.
Hegseth's claim: The US has given “hundreds of billions of dollars” in weapons to Ukraine
This is also not true.
US government data, Ukrainian information and independent analyzes agree on this point. The actual amount is approximately USD 65-75 billion. (i.e. approximately PLN 260–300 billion), depending on the methodology adopted.
According to the US Department of Defense, the total value of military aid at the end of 2025 was approximately USD 67 billion. (approx. PLN 268 billion).
The Department of State reports that by the end of 2025, the United States has allocated $187 billion (approx. PLN 748 billion) for security in Eastern Europe, of which approximately $64 billion (approx. PLN 256 billion) concerned directly armaments for Ukraine.
According to an independent institute in Kiel, by March 1, 2026, total US military aid to Ukraine amounted to $75 billion and $300 million. (approx. PLN 301 billion).
At the end of February 2026, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated the value of declared military aid at approximately USD 76 billion. (approx. PLN 303 billion).
Hegseth's claim: The US has contributed “up to $300 billion” in total
This is also significantly different from reality.
Total US aid to Ukraine from February 2022 to April 2026 amounted to approximately USD 183–188 billion, according to official data. (approx. PLN 732–752 billion), of which USD 130–175 billion was actually allocated. (approx. PLN 520–700 billion).
This means that the real value of the physical support that actually reached Ukraine is probably USD 70-120 billion (approx. PLN 280-480 billion) – or about one third of what Hegseth claimed.
Hegseth's claim: “Europe” pays for every weapon the US supplies to Ukraine
That's not true.
In fact, non-European countries are also involved in financing the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies on the Pentagon's budget request, Washington, April 29, 2026.PAP/EPA/LUKE JOHNSON / PAP
For example, Canada — which is in North America, not Europe — has contributed about $500 million so far. (approx. PLN 2 billion).
Australia and New Zealand, countries located in Oceania, also participate in this program, contributing approximately USD 33 million, respectively. (approx. PLN 132 million) and PLN 8,700 thousand hole. (approx. PLN 35 million).
Hegseth avoided answering, changing the subject
One of the exchanges concerned the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
Rep. Salud Carbajal (Democratic Party, California): Mr. Hegseth, aren't you afraid that easing sanctions against Russia will allow Putin to continue financing his illegal war against Ukraine?
Hegseth: We have already seen that Russia and… Putin are unable to achieve success on the battlefield, just as they were unable to defend the Maduro regime, which fell in 15 minutes. Their military capabilities are no match for ours.
Carbajal: Does easing sanctions help Russia?
Hegseth: We have the best energy team in the world.
