Hours after taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump put a stop on U.S. foreign development assistance for 90 days to review and ensure it aligns with the new administration's policy.
Ukraine tops the recipient list of U.S. development assistance, receiving over $17 billion in economic aid in 2023 as it faced Russian all-out war, official data shows.
According to the White House statement, it is now up to the U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio or his designee to determine whether to request to continue, modify, or cease each foreign aid program based upon the review recommendations.
"Under President Trump, the top priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States. The direction he has given for the conduct of our foreign policy is clear," Rubio said before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week.
"Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, every policy we pursue must be justified by the answer to one of three questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Or does it make America more prosperous? "
What does this mean for Ukraine?
Experts told the Kyiv Independent that Trump's move does not apply to funding programs through which the U.S. provides Ukraine with military aid.
Artur Koldomasov, a Ukrainian expert on U.S. politics, says that the order is aimed at taking certain actions, but it cannot override existing legislative mechanisms or procedures.
Trump can freeze funding for initiatives conducted by international organizations on human rights, refugee support, etc., according to the expert.
Chris York
"In the context of this particular decision, it is quite difficult to imagine the implementation of this idea since the funds allocated for these initiatives have already been distributed, and the next budget will be adopted in September," Koldomasov said.
"It is quite difficult to imagine the implementation of this idea since the funds allocated for these initiatives have already been distributed, and the next budget will be adopted in September."
But the order may apply to financial and humanitarian aid programs for Ukraine under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), he said.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale, USAID has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and more than $30 billion in direct budget support.
The agency has also allocated funds to restore Ukraine's energy grid, which Russia is trying to destroy by launching barrages of missiles and drones.
Oleksandr Kraiev, an expert on North American policy at the foreign policy think tank Ukrainian Prism, said that Trump's decision does not threaten Ukraine's support now.
"One way or another, our assistance still depends primarily on the decision of the Congress," he added.
What is Trump's position on Ukraine aid?
The future of U.S. aid to Kyiv under Trump's administration remains uncertain.
During the inaugural speech, he did not mention Ukraine, claiming that the U.S. "will stop all wars." Yet, his full plan on how to end Russia's full-scale war remains unclear, too.
On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly criticized the level of support provided to Ukraine and signaled Kyiv should brace for reduced assistance once he takes office.
When asked in early December whether Ukraine should prepare for such a scenario, Trump responded: "Possibly, sure."
In 2024, the pro-Trump wing of the Republican Party blocked the U.S. aid bill in Congress for months. This led to the fall of the key eastern city of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast, followed by the loss of several other towns in the region.
The $61 billion aid bill was passed by the U.S. Congress in April, giving the former President Joe Biden around $10 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the U.S. to supply Kyiv with military equipment from existing military stockpiles.
Around $3.8 billion remained unspent. Now, these funds are at Trump's disposal.
Yet, the majority of U.S. funding remains in the hands of the U.S. Congress.
"So far, despite the large number of Trump's orders, despite his executive activity, not even half of them can be implemented," Kraiev said.
"You can plan and write all kinds of plans, but if you don't have the money to implement them, then these plans risk simply remaining plans."
Chris York
