Europe’s Finally Pitching In on Ukraine—But Where’s That Leave America?

European leaders huddled up in London today, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer taking the lead, trying to hammer out a peace plan for Ukraine. The idea? They’re hoping to sell it to the U.S. and keep the support flowing. This all comes after President Donald Trump’s recent sit-down with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which apparently didn’t go all that smoothly. Word on the street is Trump might be looking to pull back U.S. involvement—or maybe even nudge a deal that Russia wouldn’t hate. Meanwhile, Starmer rolled out a £1.6 billion package (that’s about $2 billion, give or take) to hook Ukraine up with some fancy air defense missiles. Sounds like Europe’s trying to step up and take a bigger swing at this thing.

But here’s where it gets interesting—and honestly, a little frustrating—for folks like us who keep an eye on where our tax dollars are going. Let’s break it down. Since this whole Ukraine conflict kicked off, the U.S. has shelled out over $50 billion in aid. That’s weapons, cash, you name it—more than anybody else by a long shot. Compare that to the European Union, where all their countries combined have pledged around $30 billion. Individually, no single European nation even comes close to what we’ve put in. So when Starmer’s tossing out £1.6 billion like it’s a big deal, I can’t help but think—really? That’s it? After we’ve been carrying the load for years?

For conservatives like me, this feels personal. It’s like America’s been the guy at the barbecue who keeps buying all the burgers while everyone else shows up with a bag of chips—if that. Ukraine’s right in Europe’s backyard, not ours. You’d think they’d have been all over this from day one, but instead, we’ve been the ones footing the bill. Sure, Starmer’s move is a start, and some countries—like Poland—have been pulling their weight. But £1.6 billion doesn’t even scratch the surface of the $50 billion we’ve already dropped. It’s a nice gesture, but it’s not balance-the-checkbook territory.

Now, with Trump in the mix, things might be shifting. If he’s hinting at dialing back our support, I say good. Maybe it’s the kick in the pants Europe needs to stop treating Uncle Sam like an endless piggy bank. But why should American taxpayers keep carrying the heaviest load when we’ve got plenty of our own messes to clean up? Border security’s a disaster, inflation’s eating our lunch, and that $50 billion could fix a lot of potholes here at home.

So yeah, Europe’s peace plan and missile deal are steps forward. But let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t some grand equalizer. The U.S. has been the big spender in this game, and it’s about time our allies across the pond matched their big talk with bigger checks. If Trump’s rethinking our role, maybe that’s the push they need to finally step up. Because honestly, we’re tired of being the only ones reaching for the wallet.