NATO’s Spending Shocker: $410B on Russian Energy, Just $100B for Ukraine Since 2022

Consider the war in Ukraine and the balance of power—or rather, the imbalance of spending. Despite heated rhetoric labeling Russia as the villain, calling Putin a dictator, and pledges to support Ukraine ‘as long as it takes’ against the ‘big bad red bear,’ NATO countries (excluding the U.S. for this comparison) are effectively funding Russia’s war effort through their energy purchases.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, those 30 NATO countries, excluding the U.S., have spent approximately $410 billion on Russian energy products like oil, gas, and natural gas, driven by European purchases and Turkey’s significant imports, based on data from Bruegel, CREA, and other sources, with the U.S.’s $15 billion energy spending prior to its 2022 ban removed from the tally. This disparity reveals that non-U.S. NATO members’ energy expenditures exceed their collective aid to Ukraine by more than three times, highlighting a persistent financial flow to Russia despite the alliance’s support for Kyiv.

President Trump is correct. The United States has allocated more money to Ukraine than NATO countries.
The United States has allocated $175 billion to support Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, outstripping the $100 billion committed by the other 30 NATO member states combined, according to estimates from the Kiel Institute and NATO statements.

Other Big Takeaways

President Biden set up the perverse dependence on Russian energy.
Europe's Russian fuel dependence, in large, part, is due to the Biden administration's restriction on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. President Donald Trump lifted that pause in a day-one executive order. (FOX News)

Sanctions have been mostly ineffective.
The sanctions put in place have only resulted in an 8% reduction of Russian crude and refined energy products since before the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia also created a covert scheme to circumvent crude oil sanctions.
But how did Russia hide their oil exports? They launched a "shadow" fleet of 585 oil tankers to transport the bulk of its exports. They also export energy products to third-party states that are not on any state sanctions, who turn it around and launder the crude oil to the West.

As you weigh whether President Trump’s push for peace—even with Russia—is worthwhile, consider the perverse incentives and misguided policies that sparked the war in Ukraine and continue to fuel its conflict.

Notes

• Adjustment: The NATO energy bar drops from $425 billion to $410 billion by excluding the U.S.’s $15 billion, aligning the comparison with the NATO-minus-U.S. aid figure.

• Consistency: U.S. aid and NATO (ex-U.S.) aid remain fixed, with only the energy category refined for relevance.

• Sources: Unchanged—Kiel Institute, U.S. government, Bruegel, CREA, Fox News, EIA—adjusted for U.S. exclusion.