United States Military Aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–2018)

Abstract

Relevance of the Study. After the onset of Russian armed aggression against Ukraine (February 2014), the United States became one of the leading donors in the field of military-technical support for Ukraine. Assistance encompassed a wide range of lethal and non-lethal equipment and became critically important for maintaining Ukraine’s defense capability, resilience, and capacity for counteroffensive operations. Given the unprecedented scale of assistance, there is a need for scientific systematization of its parameters and study of both the material-technical and politico-diplomatic dimensions of this support.

The aim of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the United States’ military aid provided to Ukraine during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in the southeastern regions of the country.

Methodology. The methodological foundation of the article is based on the principles of historicism, scientific objectivity, systematicity, comprehensiveness, and continuity. The study extensively uses general historical methods (problem-chronological, historical-typological, historical-comparative, historical-genetic, historical-systemic) and general scientific methods (logical reasoning, abstraction, generalization, induction, and deduction).

Results. The article identifies the nature and stages of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine during the study period, outlines the volume and types of aid, including non-lethal equipment and lethal weapons. Internal and external political factors shaping the parameters of American support are examined, and the role of U.S. Congressional legislative initiatives in forming the legal basis for assistance is explored. The impact of U.S. military aid on the defense capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and its ability to counter Russian aggression is assessed, as well as the dynamics of the transformation of U.S. assistance—from non-lethal support to comprehensive backing of Ukraine’s security sector.

Conclusions. Analysis of political, military, and geostrategic factors determining the scale and intensity of U.S. military-technical aid to Ukraine in 2014–2018 shows that support was multidimensional and evolved under the influence of internal and external circumstances. The domestic political dimension in the United States was shaped by interparty discussions, strategic approaches of different administrations, and public expectations regarding the country’s role in the global security architecture. The military component of assistance directly correlated with the dynamics of combat operations: escalation in the Donbas and the annexation of Crimea each time led to an expansion of the range of weapons, an increase in financial aid packages, and a shift from defensive to offensive systems.