Under the title “The best-kept secret in aid to Ukraine: Most of the money stays in the U.S.,” the Washington Post publishes a detailed investigation into U.S. aid to Ukraine amid the Republican “blockade” on new financial support for the country.

Funds approved by lawmakers for arming Ukraine do not go directly to Ukraine, but remain in the US to build new weapons or to replace weapons sent to Kiev from US stockpiles.

Of the $68 billion in military and related aid Congress has authorized since Russia invaded Ukraine, nearly 90 percent has gone to Americans, the report said.

In particular, the article explains that US aid to Ukraine revitalized the US military industry. Weapons for Ukraine are produced in at least 31 states and 71 cities in the US. Some weapons units started production for the first time since 2005, such as Stinger missiles.

For example, the United States had not built a single new Stinger anti-aircraft missile since 2005, the report continued. The terrorists we’ve been fighting for the last few decades didn’t have fighter jets, so production went down. Now due to send aid to Ukraine, the Pentagon signed a $624.6 million contract last year to build Stinger missiles in Tucson to replace about 1,400 sent to Ukraine.

Without Ukraine’s supply, the Stinger production line would likely remain idle — perhaps until bombs start falling in a conflict over Taiwan, the Washington Post says.

Our aid to Ukraine forces the US to increase its weapons production capacity while modernizing the country’s military while creating good jobs for American workers.

Overall, our analysis, the article says, found that there are at least 13 production lines in 10 states and 11 US cities that are producing new US-made weapons for NATO allies to replace equipment they have sent to Ukraine.