As of early 2025, the US has provided approximately $185B in military and economic assistance, humanitarian support, and security cooperation to Ukraine. Military analyst Benjamin Cook believes that the US has gained between $778.7B and $1.66T in direct and indirect benefits from this support.
“By weakening the military potential of a nearly equal adversary, obtaining unprecedented battlefield intelligence, and accelerating the testing and development of modern weapons systems, the US sees a return on strategic investment (ROSI) of 321% to 797%”, Cook notes.
He emphasizes that these benefits were achieved without the involvement of US troops in combat operations.
By supporting Ukraine, the US has been able to:
- Acquire battlefield AI datasets ($25-100B)
- Test weaponry in actual conditions ($1.7-6.5B per year).
- Undermine the Russian military ($500B – $1T) – achieving this through direct confrontation would necessitate a war on the scale of Iraq or Korea.
- Analyze Russian systems ($50-150B)
- Offer strategic deterrence (over $100B)
- Facilitate international military sales ($1-5B)
- Enhance geopolitical influence ($100-300B)