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This Fourth of July, Here’s How America Helped Ukraine Fight for Freedom
As Americans celebrate Independence Day, Ukraine continues its own fight for freedom. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the US has helped Ukraine defend its people through military aid, humanitarian assistance, volunteers, and a partnership that is strengthening both nations.
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“I firmly believe that if you have the means to help somebody, you have the responsibility to help somebody,” said Bryce Byington, an American soldier who came to Ukraine. We outline some of the key ways the US has helped Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
US military aid
The US’s military aid to Ukraine has been essential for its survival during the Russian invasion. Between 2022 and 2025, they were the largest provider of military aid to Ukraine by total amount, and they still play a major role in 2026.
As of April 2026, the US contributed $64.62 billion in military aid alone, the Kiel Institute reports. While US aid to Ukraine has significantly dropped in 2026, even now, thanks to the PURL initiative, where European countries buy military goods from the US to send to Ukraine, air defense in particular relies on US-procured weaponry.
From millions of artillery rounds and ammunition to M1A1 Abrams tanks and M2A2 ODS Bradleys to armored personnel carriers and medical vehicles, the US has helped Ukraine seize the initiative in the 2022 counter-offensives and hold the line since.
HIMARS multiple rocket launchers were also essential in pushing back Russia’s offensive capabilities, striking military targets in temporarily occupied territories.
Ukrainians “are spending a lot of time striking targets like ammunition, supplies, other logistical supplies, command and control,” said an American senior military official in 2022. “All those things have a direct impact on the ability to conduct operations on the front line,” which was in part thanks to the HIMARS.
The PAC-3 missiles for the PATRIOT systems that Ukraine acquired from the US remain a core part of Ukraine’s multi-layered air defense and are the only means of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, thanks to their multi-threat detection and accurate tracking capabilities.
PATRIOTs “give Ukraine a critical long-range capability to defend its airspace,” the Department of Defense said in 2025. “It is capable of intercepting cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and aircraft. Our goal is to help Ukraine strengthen a layered integrated approach to air defense.”
NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) has also been a core part of Ukraine’s short- to mid-range air defense, and the US has provided 12 systems that help protect Ukraine from Russian missiles. Essentially, the air defense systems and missiles created in the US have been a major part of the multi-tiered air defense for civilians in Ukraine.
One American soldier, with a call sign “Rust”, who is fighting with Ukraine in an Unmanned Systems Unit, said that what was most important initially were “The shells, M777 155mm artillery pieces, armored vehicles, and training,” then later HIMARS and ATACMs. “But the best thing the West helped with was Air-Defense like Patriot/NASAMS, Gepard, etc.”
Now, he says, “It's all about electronics, long-range weapons, aviation, SIGINT, etc. The resources make a significant difference, of course, and the influx of competent, motivated foreign soldiers and partner nations that consistently help.”
This is not to mention the training of Ukrainian military personnel in the US and Europe, guidance in military operations such as the 2022 counteroffensives, and the sharing of intelligence that helped Ukraine liberate territories occupied by Russia.
Another huge help is Starlink. It provided nationwide connectivity, which was essential during the winter, when Russia targeted civilian infrastructure. It became not only a lifeline for Ukraine and civilians to remain connected, but it has also helped the military conduct strikes on Russian military targets.
US humanitarian aid
The US government has also sent the second-largest amount of humanitarian funding (after Germany), at $3.47 billion as of April 2026, according to Kiel. Government programs such as USAID have also provided essential humanitarian assistance, equipment, and funding for energy infrastructure, which was desperately needed during the winters when many were without heating or energy due to Russian strikes.
Many NGOs, non-profits, and charities from the US have helped provide crucial humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. For example, the HALO Institute provides demining assistance, and World Central Kitchen provides food to people across Ukraine. Razom for Ukraine has provided $205 million in humanitarian assistance, among many others.
One of many Americans who are helping in a humanitarian effort is Sarah Slimp. She works with the Ukrainian organization Voices for Children. They provide psychological and humanitarian support to children and families affected by war and, as of 2025, have helped 160,000+ children and parents.
“Whether a child has fled the front line, survived occupation, attends one of our camps, or speaks to a psychologist online, our mission is the same: to help children feel safe again,” Sarah told us.
She works as a partnership manager and has made Ukraine her home over the last three years. “In 2018, I met children from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions who had already lived through years of war. They were my age, but their childhood looked nothing like mine. I realized I would never have learned their stories in an American classroom, and that profoundly impacted the way I viewed the world.”
The Americans who stand with Ukraine have been extraordinary,” she says. “They have donated generously, welcomed Ukrainian families into their communities, volunteered their time, and continued supporting Ukraine long after the world's attention shifted elsewhere.”
US volunteers in Ukraine’s armed forces
Many Americans have come to Ukraine and fought, and sometimes even lost their lives. There are no recent figures on how many Americans are fighting for Ukraine, though the Ukrainian government estimated in 2022 that 3,000 had come to fight. Some who lost their lives include Will Cancel, Andrew Webber, and medic Ethan Hertweck, although there are many more who made the ultimate sacrifice for Ukraine.
“As a medic, I figured I could help save guys in the positions,” said Rust, adding even if there are challenges being a foreigner in Ukraine and in the armed forces, such as language barriers, “You just have to find the right people through your own experiences, it takes time. I like Ukraine as I've come to know it. It's been an experience I haven't regretted so far.”
Others emphasized the just nature of the fight against the invasion as to why they came, “It’s about cultural identity. It’s about showing the world there are still things worth dying for,” said Nick, an American with Ukrainian roots who came to Ukraine. “I have the knowledge, I have the skills, and this is clearly a just cause,” said Ben, a former US Army medic from Wisconsin. “This is the first war of good versus evil since World War II.”
Why Americans support Ukraine
Many Americans see a similarity between the struggle for the country’s independence and Ukraine's struggle, feeling that the US is not doing enough for Ukraine in 2026 compared to the previous year.
“Americans then and Ukrainians today share many aspirations,” Historian Eugene Procknow and former diplomat William Courtney said. “They seek to live securely in their countries, enjoy democratic and economic freedoms, and oust foreign oppressors. They see their fight as benefiting not only themselves but a broader cause of liberty.”
Others see more recent history and family history as a motivation. Rust said, “My grandfather landed in Normandy on D-Day and fought until Okinawa in the Pacific, so it's something I'm used to in a way.”
Sarah believes that many Americans who donate to or help Ukraine have not just an emotional response, but that it’s also about principles: “Empathy is part of why many support Ukraine, but I think it's something deeper. The Americans who support Ukraine understand the importance of self-determination and a nation's right to choose its own future.” This taps into the American dream, dating back to the American Revolution. “They see those same values reflected in Ukraine's fight and recognize that supporting Ukraine isn't just about helping another country. It's also about defending the principles that democracies everywhere depend on.”
If more Americans truly got to know Ukraine, they'd recognize many of the same values they hold dear in their own lives. Ukrainians love their families. They want their children to go to school safely, practice their faith freely, preserve their culture, and decide their own future. Those aren't just Ukrainian values. They're American values too.
Sarah Slimp
A mutually-beneficial partnership
By helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia, the US has supported a country fighting one of Washington’s principal geopolitical adversaries without deploying American troops. Much of the funding approved by Congress has also been spent in the United States to replenish military stockpiles and procure new equipment from American defense manufacturers, supporting jobs and the US defense industrial base.
Ukraine has also shared battlefield experience and lessons in drone warfare, electronic warfare, and modern combat that have become increasingly valuable to modern warfare. For example, assisting with defense from drones by sending experts to help protect US bases in the Middle East after Iranian drone strikes.
Ukraine is also sharing one of its most valuable wartime assets: real battlefield data. In 2026, Kyiv launched an AI platform that provides verified partners with access to combat data to train autonomous systems and improve next-generation defense technologies, while Ukraine benefits from faster development of new capabilities.
Through initiatives such as TrophyLab, Ukraine is also giving partners, including the US, access to technical analysis of captured Russian weapons, helping researchers and defense companies better understand Russian military technology and develop countermeasures.
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It is increasingly a two-way partnership, with both countries contributing to each other’s security.
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