The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) office in Ukraine has received orders to suspend all projects and related expenditures, a USAID Kyiv office employee told Suspilne, Ukraine’s public broadcaster.
Suspilne says the suspension follows a US State Department directive implementing a 90-day pause on foreign assistance programs for auditing purposes. According to the source, staff currently lack detailed instructions regarding the directive’s implementation or potential exemptions.
When contacted by Suspilne, USAID’s press service redirected inquiries to the US State Department.
Impact on current projects and response
The suspension affects USAID-supported initiatives in Ukraine, including school reconstruction, medical services, and critical energy system repairs. Ukrainian organizations have begun receiving notifications to halt activities funded by USAID or organizations dependent on US funding.
Ivona Kostyna, Veteran Hub co-founder, announced on Facebook on 26 January that the organization must close its Veterans Support Line and Vinnytsia Hub, appealing to businesses for support.
The Financial Times reported that diplomats from the US State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs have requested Secretary of State Marco Rubio to completely exempt Ukraine from the directive, which took effect on 25 January.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on 25 January that the directive does not affect military assistance to Ukraine. The Pentagon has confirmed this exemption.
About USAID
USAID, established in 1961, maintains regional missions across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. According to USAID Ukraine’s website, since Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, the agency has provided $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid to Kyiv and directed $5 billion in development assistance. An additional $30 billion was allocated as direct budget support. The agency currently supports 29 different sectors across 158 countries worldwide, including economic growth and trade, humanitarian assistance, education, energy, infrastructure, and technology.
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