It isn't a state of the USA. The USA does not own Ukraine (excepting, sort of technically and at the whim of the Ukrainian government, the lands occupied by US embassies, and likewise Ukraine "owns" such territory in the USA). What is really happening: Western nations decided, rather than send troops to Ukraine to prevent Russia's imminent invasion, that they would allow Russia to invade. Then, discovering how their fellow nations felt about an aggressive Russia, these nations - instead of troops - send billions of dollars of military aid to enable the Ukrainians themselves to oust Russian forces. The tactic worked reasonably well in Afghanistan when Russia conquered it (although the tactic eventually cost us dearly later, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan). *** (Note: US officials were announcing that Russia was about to invade Ukraine, and they were announcing it repeatedly, for several weeks before the invasion finally happened), *** I have to admit: I didn't expect (and I doubt US officials expected) such intense solidarity among European nations in favor of Ukraine after the invasion started. BECAUSE of that solidarity, I expect that this strategy WILL prove successful. I expect that Ukrainian forces WILL drive Russian forces out of Ukraine completely, including driving Russian forces out of the Crimea, but if not to that extent, at least to the pre-invasion extent. European nations supporting Ukraine receive one tremendous advantage from this strategy: they do not lose troops (not in any significant numbers) in allying themselves with Ukraine to expel Russian troops. It's expensive, both in terms of military aid and the ongoing recession/inflationary crisis, as well as in fuel supplies needed by European nations for the Winter...but the expense is financial, not in the lives of one's own countrymen (not yet, any way), and of course that sort of trade-off is popular among the people and will be good for politicians who want to return to office in democratic nations. *** SO: (summary) what is really happening is that the USA is providing Ukraine with weapons sufficiently advanced (compared to Russian military tech) that the Ukrainians are able to oust Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine. This does several things: (A) makes Ukraine a firm and long-term ally of the US (as long as the Ukraine government is not expected to go pro-Russian in the foreseeable future, which of course it is not after such a devastating war with Russia) (B) puts a halt to Russia's expansionist agenda for at least several years (C) does NOT cost the lives of American military personnel (D) which results in NOT costing politicians the public outcry and loss of position that they would get otherwise BUT (E) all that comes at the expense of both the national and World economy