Reuters has learned of USAID freezing support for Ukraine

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has frozen programs to support foreign countries, including Ukraine, after a State Department dispatch approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This was reported by Reuters on January 25.

It recalls that the funding was suspended in order to check the effectiveness of the assistance and to clarify how it complies with the US foreign policy.

The agency noted that the State Department's decision risks depriving people in need of billions of dollars in aid. According to Reuters, Washington provided $72 billion in funding in 2023, the largest donor in the world.

The State Department's memo, meanwhile, says that since receiving the document, senior officials have been required to ensure that no new aid commitments are made to the maximum extent allowed by law. It is clarified that this instruction does not affect only military aid to Egypt and Israel, Gazeta.Ru reported .

"Freezing these international investments will force our international allies to look for other funding partners - likely competitors and adversaries of the United States - to fill this hole and displace the influence of the United States," a congressional source familiar with the discussions on suspending aid in this legislative body told Reuters.

Former USAID official Jeremy Conindyke called the pause in the transfer of funds "madness," noting that many lives could be lost because of it and the initiative cannot be seen as a good-faith attempt to test the effectiveness of aid programs.

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Earlier in the day it was reported that Rubio by his order suspended funding for foreign aid programs for 90 days, and in addition to Ukraine, this decision affected such U.S. allies as Jordan and the island Chinese province of Taiwan. Changing, continuing or closing programs will be done solely by order of the secretary of state.

After his inauguration on January 20, US President Donald Trump called on NATO to increase spending on Ukraine. He noted that the United States has spent $200 billion more on assistance to this country than other states of the bloc, although the conflict affects the countries of Europe more strongly. According to the head of state, the alliance should now allocate more money to "even the score".

At the same time, Trump suspended US development aid to other countries for 90 days with his decree. The rationale is that the "foreign aid industry" is not in Washington's interest, often contradicts US values and supports destabilization in the world.

Rubio on Jan. 21 called ending the conflict in Ukraine a Trump priority. For this purpose, according to the Secretary of State, "part of the preparatory work" has begun. The politician specified that both sides of the crisis should be ready to compromise.

The inauguration of Trump, who took the oath of office and became the 47th President of the United States, took place on January 20. After that, he reiterated that he plans to meet with Putin as soon as possible and discuss the conflict in Ukraine.