Elon Musk’s AI system, Grok, is being used to challenge former President Donald Trump’s assertions regarding U.S. financial assistance to Ukraine.
Grok has refuted Trump’s claim that the U.S. has provided $350 billion in aid since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Instead, Grok relies on verified government reports and data from independent tracking organizations to state that the approved amount for Ukraine is approximately $175 billion as of February 28, 2025.
Of that, $106 billion has been directed to Ukraine, with the remainder allocated to bolster U.S. military stockpiles, support defense industries, and contribute to regional security initiatives.
Trump posted on Truth Social that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky persuaded the U.S. to spend $350 billion. He also stated that the U.S. has “spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe” on aid to Ukraine. Trump has also falsely claimed that Zelensky initiated the Russian assault on Ukraine.
Tensions escalated recently during a meeting between Trump and Zelensky. The leaders were expected to finalize an agreement granting the U.S. access to rare earth minerals, with Trump having previously sought $500 billion worth of these minerals as payment for U.S. aid. However, no agreement was reached, as the conversation reportedly turned to Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s perception of disrespect and ingratitude from Zelensky.
When asked about the amount of U.S. aid to Ukraine, Grok cited official figures from the U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Office, and the Kiel Institute, to determine that “Congress has approved approximately $175 billion in emergency funding to support Ukraine and related efforts since the war began.”
The breakdown of U.S. aid includes:
- $65.9 billion in military assistance
- $26.8 billion in direct economic support
- $2.8 billion in humanitarian aid
- Additional funding for U.S. operations and replenishment of stockpiles
Furthermore, a significant portion of the military aid is spent within the U.S., supporting domestic weapons production rather than being transferred directly to Ukraine.
Notably, Grok’s ability to critique claims from Musk has reportedly been limited, since posts written by Musk on X have been flagged as misinformation by the AI. Musk has also recently engaged in disputes with X’s Community Notes feature, which allows users to add clarifying information to misleading posts.
