This $18 billion figure breaks down to almost $60 million per day or roughly $2.5 million spent per hour in 2022. These figures are likely to increase as the Biden administration will undoubtedly announce more aid in coming weeks, months, and even years. In contrast, the United States provided a mere $1.1 billion to the war-torn country of Afghanistan following its withdrawal in August 2021. The unchecked flow of financial aid to Ukraine, while perhaps reflecting a noble desire to help, raises three bright red flags.

First, as recorded by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the U.S. taxpayer dollars devoted to Ukraine far outpace the aid commitments of all European nations. It’s true the United States boasts deep pockets compared with other donors. However, the United States has continuously renewed its pledges of support for Ukraine, while other nations are now reconsidering financial commitments.

“The U.S. is now committing nearly twice as much as all EU countries and institutions combined,” noted Christoph Trebesch, head of the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Tracker. “This is a meagre showing for the bigger European countries, especially since many of their pledges are arriving in Ukraine with long delays.”

Second is the heavy use of the presidential drawdown authority to approve Ukraine-bound aid. Drawdowns are invoked by the president of the United States to “respond to unforeseen emergencies and other requirements without having to first seek additional legislative authority or budgetary appropriations.”

The use of the presidential drawdown has seen incredible expansion under the Biden administration and removes one of the checks and balances for fiscal transparency. President Joe Biden authorized more than $10.9 billion for Ukraine over 24 drawdowns from August 2021 to October 28, 2022. This dwarfs the 13 drawdowns authorized in fiscal years 2011 to 2015 which totaled $321.5 million spread among multiple recipient nations. Congress also increased the cap on presidential drawdown authority from $100 million to $11 billion for fiscal year 2022.

The scale of aid and use of drawdown authority are both unprecedented. Even more alarming, though, is Ukraine’s profile as a corrupt quasi-democracy. Politicians and officials would have the American public believe they are supporting a virtuous, freedom-loving government, but the destination for outbound tax dollars is a state rife with corruption.

Ukraine is characterized as only “partly free” by the U.S. government-funded watchdog Freedom House. Freedom House found that, even after 30 years of independence, Ukraine “cannot be described as a stable, consolidated democracy.” It classified Ukraine as a “transitional or hybrid regime,” awarding a “democracy percentage” score of 39.29 out of 100. The country ranked 122 out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2021.

With President Biden himself dismissing the idea that Ukraine could be considered for NATO membership on account of its corruption, the funding largesse is harder to justify. “It depends on whether they meet the criteria,” Biden said after last year’s NATO summit. “The fact is they still have to clean up corruption.” Yet the Biden administration now continues to push American dollars out the door to a nation with known and unchecked corruption.

“Even if it’s a noble cause, there’s going to be theft,” stated John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction. “There’s going to be misconduct. There’s going to be nepotism. There’s going to be stupid decisions being made. It’s human nature.” The 30-year veteran of government oversight and investigations further predicted we’ll “be reading stories of fraud, waste, and abuse” a couple of years from now.

Early estimates suggested only about a third of military supplies entering Ukraine actually reached their intended destination, according to Jonas Ohman of the aid organization Blue-Yellow. The CBS documentary and print article that quoted Ohman, titled “Why military aid in Ukraine may not always get to the front lines,” was quick to add an editor’s note clarifying that delivery of military equipment has vastly improved—but failed to include any actual figures. United States Brigadier General Garrick M. Harmon also arrived in Ukraine in August to oversee arms control and monitoring, the article noted. It did not outline what new measures and controls Harmon’s appointment would entail.

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, made assurances that “Western weapons are in safe hands.” This comes against the backdrop not only of his government’s history of corruption, but also of rampant illicit weapons trades. In 2015, Ukraine experienced a boom in black-market sales of weapons out of its war-torn eastern region.

The country experienced a spike in crime facilitated by the flow of illegal weapons from the war zone and wartime hardships. Founder and chairman of the Ukrainian Gun Owners Association Hryhoriy Uchaykin claimed that government corruption was partly to blame for the rise in illegal weapons fueling crime.

Western officials have openly acknowledged the risks posed by illicit proliferation and called for greater transparency and accountability from Ukraine. Newly established oversight mechanisms and promises of transparency are indeed encouraging. However, long-needed reforms to combat corruption will not occur overnight, particularly during wartime.

It’s clear that Ukraine needs outside help in its fight against Russia. The question is not whether we should support Ukraine. The question is the breakneck speed of Ukraine-bound aid that outpaces controls, money siphoned off by corrupt actors, and red flags at every turn. Fiscal responsibility and administrative transparency for American taxpayers should not be ignored, despite the urgency of the need.

Alyssa holds an MS in Global Studies and International Relations and writes as a contributor for the Daily Caller.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.