The Biden administration received massive criticism not only for sending U.S. taxpayer money to Ukraine instead of addressing pressing issues here at home, but also for seemingly ignoring that nation’s long track record of corruption. Along the way, experts have warned that much of the money sent to Ukraine under the guise of assisting in its war against Russia would wind up padding the pockets of corrupt officials. Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seems to be proving that point with his admission that more than half of the cash America sent him can’t be accounted for: NEW: Ukrainian President Zelensky says Ukraine has only received about $75 billion of the $177 billion in aid that was allegedly sent from the United States. “I don’t know where all this money is… we never received it.” What?pic.twitter.com/1SdtHCzm31 — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 2, 2025 As Politico reported in 2023, internal Biden administration communications included the concession that Ukrainian corruption was a serious problem: Biden administration officials are far more worried about corruption in Ukraine than they publicly admit, a confidential U.S. strategy document obtained by POLITICO suggests. The “sensitive but unclassified” version of the long-term U.S. plan lays out numerous steps Washington is taking to help Kyiv root out malfeasance and otherwise reform an array of Ukrainian sectors. It stresses that corruption could cause Western allies to abandon Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion, and that Kyiv cannot put off the anti-graft effort. “Perceptions of high-level corruption” the confidential version of the document warns, could “undermine the Ukrainian public’s and foreign leaders’ confidence in the war-time government.” That’s starker than the analysis available in the little-noticed public version of the 22-page document, which the State Department appears to have posted on its website with no fanfare about a month ago. The confidential version of the “Integrated Country Strategy” is about three times as long and contains many more details about U.S. objectives in Ukraine, from privatizing its banks to helping more schools teach English to encouraging its military to adopt NATO protocols. Many goals are designed to reduce the corruption that bedevils the country. The quiet release of the strategy, and the fact that the toughest language was left in the confidential version, underscores the messaging challenge facing the Biden team. Zelenskyy’s latest remarks have only fueled public demand for an audit of where all of the U.S. money has gone: WE NEED A FULL AUDIT People need to go to jail for this money laundering Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine only received around $75 billion of the $177 billion in US Taxpayer money sent as aid “I don’t know where all this money is.”pic.twitter.com/ws5IgWIEM5 — Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) February 2, 2025 Wait….what Zelenskyy now says Ukraine only got $77B of $177B he says the Biden Admin sent… who ended up with $100B dollars of our money Raise your hand if you want a complete audit of every dime of our money Biden sent pic.twitter.com/oVsfmSQhTm — @Chicago1Ray (@Chicago1Ray) February 2, 2025 JUST IN: “Ukraine only received around $75 billion of the $177 billion in aid sent by the United States. I don’t know where all this money is.” – Ukrainian dictator, Zelensky Sure…you don’t know with all your generals buying mansions in California. pic.twitter.com/oRlrskabOv — Spetsnaℤ 007 (@Alex_Oloyede2) February 2, 2025 For his part, President Donald Trump has repeatedly asserted that he is capable of helping Ukraine and Russia strike a deal that will end the ongoing war. He recently shared his opinion that Ukraine’s decision to respond militarily to the Russian advance was essentially doomed to failure, as NBC News reported: “Zelenskyy was fighting a much bigger entity, much bigger, much more powerful,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “He shouldn’t have done that, because we could have made a deal.” Trump has argued that Zelenskyy should have made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to avoid the war, a stance he reiterated in the Fox News interview. “I could have made that deal so easily, and Zelenskyy decided that ‘I want to fight,’” Trump said. Trump went on to compare the number of tanks each country had, emphasizing that Russia had more. “You don’t fight those,” Trump said. Zelenskyy has clearly been trying to make his case to MAGA-supporting America since Trump returned to the White House, as evidenced by his appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” last week: