Espreso. Global
Exclusive

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

31 January, 2025 Friday
14:31

Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, Oleksandr Slobozhan, states that audit results will reveal how effectively recipients used USAID aid

client/title.list_title

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.

Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2025, Thursday
6 February
17:27
Russia plans to complete "renovation" of Mariupol drama theater by end of 2025
17:06
Exclusive
At least 20,000 Ukrainian civilians are being held in Russian captivity
16:42
Ukraine receives F-16 fighter jets from Netherlands
16:19
OPINION
Moscow will drag out negotiations as long as possible
16:00
Trump envoy Kellogg rejects idea of restoring Ukraine’s nuclear status
15:44
Russian drone strikes densely populated residential area in Ukraine’s Kharkiv
15:25
Ukrainian drones target 66% of Russian military equipment in January — Ukraine's top general
15:07
UK to convene Ramstein meeting on February 12
15:00
Updated
Ukrainian forces strike Russian airfield in Krasnodar region used for launching Shahed drones
14:49
Exclusive
Ukraine's future depends on attracting qualified foreign workers — Ukraine’s Confederation of Employers
14:32
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia to cut ties with Russia’s power grid this weekend
14:13
Russian forces turn to horses, donkeys for frontline supply runs
13:56
First French Mirage 2000 fighter jets arrive in Ukraine
13:37
Exclusive
Bridgehead near Dvorichna, Kharkiv region, keeps expanding — military expert
13:15
Exclusive
Russian army makes no gains in Kupyansk sector for three weeks — Ukrainian officer
12:54
North Korea using Ukraine as testing ground to improve missile accuracy
12:33
OPINION
Zelenskyy open to talks with Putin, but prospects remain dim. Vitaly Portnikov's column
12:11
Review
'Likely Palianytsia missile': strike on Russian oil refinery, cutting-edge tech Ukrainian innovators offer military. Serhiy Zgurets’ column
11:48
Exclusive
UK moves to take lead in cooperation with Ukraine — diplomat
11:29
Exclusive
Putin has no interest in negotiations, Trump must realize it fast — diplomat
11:10
Exclusive
Russia’s top strategy: provoking elections in Ukraine with temporary ceasefire — political scientist
10:51
Trump envoy Keith Kellogg to visit Ukraine on February 20 — media
10:34
90 clashes at front on Feb. 5: Ukrainian forces halt 24 Russian attacks in Pokrovsk sector
10:12
Russia loses nearly 40,000 troops in six months of Kursk operation — Ukraine's General Staff
09:35
Russia loses 1,240 soldiers, 46 artillery systems, 16 armored vehicles in one day of war in Ukraine
2025, Wednesday
5 February
21:30
Ukraine’s Defense Forces destroyed 13,000 Russian artillery systems in 2024
21:15
Zelenskyy believes Kursk operation will be key in negotiations
21:00
Exclusive
Ukraine gets weapons to exert strategic pressure on Russia
20:41
Exclusive
What Trump really meant about Ukrainian rare earth metals
20:20
Exclusive
Russian troops dig multi-story trenches hard to clear, says Ukrainian serviceman
19:54
Russia establishes new foothold on right bank of Oskil River, Kharkiv region
19:30
Explosion near Kamianets-Podilskyi recruitment center kills one, injures four
19:10
Exclusive
Killing of recruitment officer is consequence of Russia's special operations in Ukraine
18:45
Ukraine proposes storing American gas in its facilities
18:20
OPINION
Flaw in "everything was fine if not that damned Putin" narrative
17:55
Russian conscripts sent to Ukraine frontline despite Kremlin’s promises
17:30
Ukraine-U.S. cooperation goes beyond natural resources for mutual benefit — FM Sybiha
17:12
Italy's Bologna hosts protest against Russian disinformation, propaganda
16:50
Ukraine frees 150 defenders from Russian captivity
16:29
OPINION
Trump and Ukraine's rare earth metals
More news