Government has no 'Plan B' on U.S. aid suspension — Ukrainian cities association

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"Unfortunately, the government has no 'plan B'. And we need to take into account the specifics of different projects, and this is not an 'Office of Simple Solutions' but a 'let's ask the Europeans' approach. There are appropriate procedures and approaches, and there are three types of USAID projects," Slobozhan said.

According to the executive director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, the main recipients of USAID aid are local government bodies, as well as relevant charitable foundations and other organizations. This includes shelters, bomb shelters, medical equipment, medicines, and specialized equipment for veterans' hubs. Additionally, municipal machinery, cogeneration units, and boilers are part of the aid. USAID has also actively adapted its projects, which began in March 2022. Over $7 billion in aid is planned for 2024.

"But this is not the first time that projects in Ukraine and worldwide are being halted and audited. However, the word 'audit' involves more than just financial auditing. It also includes legal and political components. As a result of the audit, some projects may be closed, some merged, and new, larger projects may emerge, but with different directions, recipients, and goals. The audit results will reveal how effectively recipients have used USAID assistance," explained Slobozhan.

USAID funding termination: background

On his first day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump decided to temporarily suspend all U.S. foreign aid programs for 90 days to conduct inspections.

U.S. diplomats have asked that Ukraine-related programs be immediately excluded from the 90-day foreign aid freeze issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

On January 26, the media reported, citing sources, that USAID had been instructed to stop all projects in Ukraine.

The next day, USAID officially confirmed the suspension of funding for all programs and projects in Ukraine. The agency funded various educational, scientific, media, and cultural projects in Ukraine, purchased medical equipment and medicines for communities that hosted IDPs, funded mobile medical teams that traveled to remote areas, and funded vaccination, rehabilitation, and psychological assistance programs.

“People simply don't realize the scale of the activities of an agency like USAID and other American programs, because they have never made it a self-promotion,” the BBC quoted MP Mykyta Poturaiev, who heads the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, as saying.

According to him, USAID has also been a systemic donor to many international programs, such as UNDP and UNICEF.

“USAID could be listed as one of the partners, but in fact it was the main, systemic partner. Therefore, in fact, the losses for Ukraine due to the freezing of this aid are much greater than we can imagine,” Poturaiev emphasized.

Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Iryna Vereshchuk called the temporary suspension of USAID funding unexpected and unpleasant news that cannot but be disconcerting.