The Trump administration has reportedly frozen help grants as a part of a broader international coverage audit
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has frozen almost all assist grants to Ukraine for 90 days, Politico reported on Friday. The transfer comes after President Donald Trump ordered a full evaluate of all international help.
Rubio instructed diplomatic and consular posts to subject “stop-work orders” on almost all “current international help awards,” Politico stated, citing an inside doc.
In keeping with Politico, the order has “shocked” State Division officers and seems to use to funding for navy help to Ukraine.
The journal cited three present and two former officers aware of the matter as saying that Rubio’s steering signifies that “no additional actions might be taken to disperse assist funding to packages already accredited by the US authorities.”
The BBC, which additionally reviewed the State Division memo, reported that it seems to “have an effect on every part from improvement help to navy assist.”
Though the Pentagon beforehand advised Voice of America that the help freeze wouldn’t have an effect on “safety help to Ukraine,” Rubio’s memo reportedly solely granted exceptions for navy assist to Israel and Egypt, with out mentioning some other nation.
Journalist Ken Klippenstein posted what he stated was a duplicate of Rubio’s steering, which “pauses all new obligations of funding, pending a evaluate, for international help packages” funded by way of the State Division and the US Company for Worldwide Improvement (USAID).
Trump, who took workplace on Monday, has rdered a 90-day suspension of all “international improvement help for evaluation of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States international coverage.”
A USAID official advised Reuters that among the many packages that have been frozen are help to varsities and healthcare, together with emergency maternal care and the vaccination of kids.
Since February 2022, USAID has offered $2.6 billion in humanitarian assist, $5 billion in improvement help, and greater than $30 billion in “direct funds help,” in keeping with its web site.
The US has offered almost $66 billion in navy assist to Ukraine since February 2022, in keeping with the Pentagon.
Trump has repeatedly criticized his predecessor Joe Biden for approving unconditional assist to Ukraine and has vowed to implement cost-cutting measures. He additionally promised to shortly negotiate a peace deal between Moscow and Kiev.
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