The U.S. has suspended virtually all foreign aid for 90 days
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the suspension of funding for most foreign aid programs for 90 days, including Ukraine. This was reported by Politico on 24 January, citing an interlocutor.
It is noted that the decree applies to almost all programs, except for Israel and Egypt.
The document says that decisions on the continuation, modification or termination of the programs will be taken after a review, which will be conducted personally by the Secretary of State. According to Politico, such a sweeping suspension shocked former and current employees of the department.
"The State Department has literally blown up all foreign aid programs," an official told the publication.
Politico's interlocutors told Politico that the executive order refers to support for key allies of the United States, including Ukraine, Jordan and Taiwan.
The State Department did not respond to the publication's requests for comment.
After his inauguration on January 20, US President Donald Trump called on NATO to increase spending on Ukraine. He noted that the US has spent $200 billion more on Ukraine than other countries in the alliance, although the conflict affects European countries much more. According to him, the North Atlantic Alliance needs to allocate more funds to "even the score."
At the same time, Trump suspended US development aid to other countries for 90 days with his executive order. The justification for the measure states that Washington's "foreign aid industry" is not in the interests of the state, in many cases contradicts American values, and also serves to destabilize the world.
On the eve of the new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called ending the conflict in Ukraine a Trump priority. According to him, "part of the preparatory work" has begun. He also specified that both sides of the conflict should be ready for compromise.
January 20 was the inauguration of Trump, who took the oath of office and became the 47th President of the United States. After that, he reiterated that he plans to meet with Putin as soon as possible and discuss the conflict in Ukraine.
