Ukraine–United States relations

The United States officially recognized the independence of Ukraine on December 25, 1991. The United States upgraded its consulate in the capital, Kyiv, to embassy status on January 21, 1992.

In 2002, relations between the United States and Ukraine deteriorated after one of the recordings made during the Cassette Scandal revealed an alleged transfer of a sophisticated Ukrainian defense system to Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

On 2009, the United States announced support for Ukraine's bid to join NATO. According to documents uncovered during the United States diplomatic cables leak in 2010, American diplomats consistently defended Ukrainian sovereignty in meetings with other diplomats.

Following the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, the United States began to supply military aid to Ukraine and became one of the largest defense partners of the country. This increased after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the US massively increasing its supply of military aid and remaining one of the most important military backers of Ukraine, with US President Joe Biden heavily condemning the invasion and pledging support to Ukraine. A February 2023 Gallup poll found that 68% of Americans had a favorable view of Ukraine, by one percentage point the highest in Gallup's trend since 2005. The same poll found that 62% of Republicans and 58% of Democrats believed the Russia-Ukraine war was a critical threat to US vital interests. In December 2022, during a surprise visit to Washington D.C., Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a speech to a joint session of Congress. He thanked Congress and the American people for the support and stated the resolve for victory in the war.

However, U.S.-Ukraine relations significantly worsened during Donald Trump’s second administration amid calls for peace under his America First policy. In February 2025, the U.S. president accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia and denounced the Ukrainian president as a "dictator without elections." Later, a February 2025 meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy intending to finalize a minerals deal ended in a public fallout and shouting match between the U.S. and Ukrainian leaders before the press. The Ukrainian delegation was abruptly asked to leave the White House, and the planned working lunch and signing of the minerals deal were canceled. The incident was seen as a major deterioration in ties, with reports accurately predicting Trump would soon halt all military aid to Ukraine. Following the meeting, the U.S. Secretary of State condemned Zelenskyy's "antagonistic" behavior and demanded an apology from the Ukrainian president. On March 3, 2025, in a development attributed by journalists to disagreements during the 2025 Trump–Zelenskyy meeting, the U.S. announced a pause on all military aid to Ukraine. Days later, the U.S. cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine. However, the military aid resumed on March 11, 2025.

Ukrainians have generally viewed the US positively, with 80% expressing a favorable view in 2002, and 60% in 2011. According to the 2012 US Global Leadership Report, 33% of Ukrainians approved of US leadership, with 26% disapproving and 41% uncertain. In terms of international cooperation, the US is an observer state of the BSCE which Ukraine is a member of, and both countries are also observer states in the CBSS.