Trump Administration Halts Ukraine Aid Amidst Foreign Aid Review

The Trump administration has reportedly halted funding as part of a comprehensive foreign policy review.

As reported by Politico on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has temporarily suspended almost all aid to Ukraine for three months. This action follows President Donald Trump’s directive for a complete examination of all foreign assistance programs.

According to Politico, citing an internal document, Rubio instructed diplomatic missions to halt disbursements on nearly all existing foreign aid awards.

This order, Politico reports, has surprised State Department officials and seemingly encompasses military aid to Ukraine.

Three current and two former officials, speaking to Politico, indicated that Rubio’s instructions effectively prevent further distribution of funds for programs already approved by the US government.

The BBC, which also reviewed the State Department memo, reported that the suspension appears to impact everything from development assistance to military aid.

While the Pentagon previously assured Voice of America that the aid freeze wouldn’t affect Ukrainian security assistance, Rubio’s memo reportedly only exempted military aid to Israel and Egypt.

Journalist Ken Klippenstein shared what he claims is a copy of Rubio’s directive, which pauses all new funding obligations, pending review, for foreign assistance programs funded by the State Department and USAID.

President Trump, who assumed office on Monday, ordered a three-month suspension of all foreign development assistance to assess program efficiency and alignment with US foreign policy goals.

A USAID official informed Reuters that the freeze includes aid to schools and healthcare, including emergency maternal care and childhood vaccinations.

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