Zelensky heard report on suspended US support programs

The head of state said this in a video message, Ukrinform reports.

“Today, there was an initial report by government officials and the Office team - Oleksii Kuleba and Viktor Mykyta - on critical programs that are now suspended and previously funded by American support. I have already instructed some key things to be done at our own expense, as well as to talk to the Europeans,” Zelensky said.

He noted that in the energy sector, there were programs for distributed generation and other resilience programs for Ukrainian communities, for cities and villages. There were also many veteran projects, including veteran hubs, support lines, and assistance in setting up their own businesses by veterans.

“And thirdly, border crossing points are something that was built in cooperation with partners. New modern checkpoints are built to make economic activity faster and the work of customs officers more transparent. In particular, these are projects in ports. In reality, it is about economic security,” the President said. 

He noted that there are certain issues in the Ministry of Health and in the field of cybersecurity. 

Zelensky noted that he had instructed to continue the audit of the suspended areas of assistance from the United States.

“And it is in the humanitarian, security and social areas that there should be more of our and European activity. We need to support people now, while the new US policy is being developed,” the President emphasized. 

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed government officials to provide a report on those USAID support programs that are currently suspended for 90 days.

On January 20, US President Donald Trump signed a decree suspending all foreign aid programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they meet his political goals.

On January 24, US Secretary of State Mark Rubio ordered a “shutdown” of all foreign aid. He made an exception for emergency food aid, which could apply, in particular, to the Gaza Strip and Sudan.

The next day, the US Presidential Administration furloughed nearly 60 high-ranking USAID officials. Since then, Ukrainian organizations have started receiving letters from the agency about the temporary suspension of financial support.

Photo: OP