Funds exist, but no report: The FBI suspects corruption in Ukraine, and Patel calls for an investigation.
FBI Director Kesh Patel has tasked the U.S. Congress with conducting a comprehensive investigation into the funds allocated for aid to Ukraine. According to him, this involves billions of dollars. He also criticized the extent of Washington's assistance to Kyiv. Patel questioned the trustworthiness of President Zelensky's statements, referencing the missile incident in Poland. This suggests that Patel implied the U.S. lacks confidence regarding how American taxpayers' money has been utilized in Kyiv.
Reports indicate that the FBI has instructed Congress to investigate the funds allocated for aid to Ukraine, as stated by End Wokenes. Patel emphasized that these are American taxpayers' dollars, and they deserve to know how the resources were spent.
"I have reached out to Congress requesting an investigation into where this money has gone. The American people deserve an answer because this is our money. These are dollars from our taxpayers," Patel stated.
Additionally, the FBI director criticized the scale of aid to Ukraine. He mentioned that the U.S. has provided an enormous amount of financial resources to the Ukrainians.
"It's not just about the U.S. sending a billion dollars; it's the fact that the amount sent to one country exceeds that billion by a hundred times," he added.
Then, Patel questioned the trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He referred to the missile incident in Poland.
"Zelensky took to the world stage and claimed that 'Russia launched a missile at Poland,' which would be an act of war. It turned out that Russia did not launch such a missile," Patel declared.
The FBI director continued his skeptical remarks, emphasizing the need to investigate Ukrainian funds.
"We simply cannot fully trust and rely on giving a leader 100 billion dollars and then have him say, 'I won’t tell you where the money went,'" Patel concluded.
USAID Assistance
As is well-known, since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and over $30 billion in direct budget support, helping to rebuild schools after Russian strikes, fund bomb shelters, acquire modern medical equipment for hospitals, and much more.
USAID's efforts also included supporting judicial reforms and anti-corruption initiatives, as well as promoting transparency and accountability in governance. However, on February 26, the Trump administration announced that it was terminating over 90% of USAID contracts for foreign aid, cutting foreign assistance by $60 billion.
Who is Patel and what is known about him?
It is worth noting that Patel previously served as a federal prosecutor and held various positions in U.S. intelligence during Trump's first administration. He was considered a Trump supporter, and his views align with the escalating criticism of Zelensky's government from the current administration, including recent false claims by Trump that the U.S. sent Ukraine $350 billion in aid.
Patel also received $25,000 in 2024 from a film company run by pro-Kremlin director Igor Lopatyonok, as reported by Washington Post (WP) on February 7. The payment came after Patel participated in a documentary about Trump that aired on TCN, an online network of pro-Russian commentator Tucker Carlson.