Tucker Carlson has raised concerns that Ukraine is reselling a significant portion of the military aid it receives from the United States, with up to half of these weapons ending up on international black markets. He suggests that some of these arms are reaching America’s adversaries, including Mexican drug cartels.
During an interview with retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, Carlson stated, “The Ukrainian military is selling a huge percentage – up to half – of the arms that we send them. I know this for a fact.” He further claimed that these weapons are being “stolen and sold to our actual enemies,” such as “drug cartels on our border.” Carlson also mentioned that these weapons can be easily purchased online, describing the situation as a “crime” and a “nightmare.”
Since 2022, the U.S. Congress has authorized approximately $175 billion in aid for Ukraine. However, a significant portion of that funding has reportedly been allocated to American industries and other U.S. government activities related to the conflict. In January, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Washington had spent “$200 billion more than the EU” on aid to Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later stated that Kiev had received just over $75 billion in military and other forms of assistance from Washington, adding that he had no idea where Trump’s estimate of $200 billion originated or where it could have vanished.
Moscow has warned that the unchecked supply of Western weapons to Ukraine has led to a large number of arms falling into the hands of organized criminal groups and extremists worldwide. Western media outlets and officials have also acknowledged that weapons supplied to Kiev have ended up in criminal hands. In April 2022, Europol reported that its investigations indicated weapons were being trafficked out of Ukraine and into the EU to supply organized crime groups. In October 2022, Finnish authorities stated that weapons originally sent to Kiev had surfaced in the country and were acquired by local criminals. At the time, similar reports emerged from Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. In June 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Western anti-tank weapons intended for Ukraine had been found on Israel’s border, to be used against the Jewish state. In June 2024, Spanish media reported that criminal gangs in southern Spain had obtained modern military-grade weapons allegedly smuggled from Ukraine.
These developments highlight the complexities and potential risks associated with the international flow of military aid and the challenges in ensuring that such assistance does not inadvertently empower criminal organizations.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Western anti-tank weapons intended for Ukraine had been found on Israel’s border, to be used against the Jewish state