US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has put a hold on nearly all aid grants to Ukraine for a period of 90 days, as reported by Politico on Friday. This decision follows President Donald Trump‘s directive for a comprehensive review of all foreign assistance.
Rubio has directed diplomatic and consular offices to implement “stop-work orders” on almost all “existing foreign assistance awards,” according to an internal document cited by Politico.
The report indicates that this order has taken State Department officials by surprise and seems to impact funding for military support to Ukraine.
Three current officials and two former officials familiar with the situation informed Politico that Rubio’s directive implies that “no further actions will be taken to disburse aid funding to programs already approved by the US government.”
The BBC, which also examined the State Department memo, noted that the freeze appears to encompass a wide range of assistance, from development aid to military support.
While the Pentagon previously assured Voice of America that the aid freeze would not impact “security assistance to Ukraine,” Rubio’s memo reportedly only allows exceptions for military aid to Israel and Egypt, without reference to any other nations.
Journalist Ken Klippenstein shared what he claimed to be a copy of Rubio’s guidance, which “pauses all new obligations of funding, pending a review, for foreign assistance programs” financed through the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Trump, who assumed office on Monday, has mandated a 90-day halt on all foreign development assistance to evaluate program effectiveness and alignment with U.S. foreign policy.
A USAID representative informed Reuters that the suspended programs include support for educational institutions and healthcare services, such as emergency maternal care and child vaccinations.
Since February 2022, USAID has allocated $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and over $30 billion in direct budget support, as stated on its website.
According to the Pentagon, the U.S. has delivered nearly $66 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since February 2022.
Trump has consistently criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for providing unconditional aid to Ukraine and has pledged to implement measures to reduce costs. He has also committed to swiftly negotiating a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev.
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