US diplomats push for exemption on Ukraine aid amid 90-day freeze, Zelensky says military aid has not stopped

U.S. diplomats are urgently seeking an exemption for Ukraine-related programs from a 90-day foreign aid freeze imposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to documents reviewed by the Financial Times (FT) and sources familiar with the situation.

The sweeping directive, which took immediate effect, also includes "stop work" orders on existing projects.

Senior diplomats in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs requested a full waiver to exclude U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) operations in Ukraine, citing national security concerns.

"We do not know at this time whether this request will be approved — in whole or in part — but there are positive signals thus far out of Washington," an email sent to USAID staff in Ukraine on Jan. 25 read, according to the FT.

USAID in Ukraine temporarily delayed issuing "stop work" orders to its partners, aiming to provide clarity while assessing how programs align with Rubio’s directive to make the U.S. "safer, stronger, and more prosperous." Despite this, by the evening of Jan. 25 in Kyiv, some organizations began receiving official "stop work" orders, halting operations until further notice from contracting officers.

The freeze has left hundreds of foreign aid contracts, valued at over $70 billion in the 2022 fiscal year, in limbo as a review process unfolds over the next 85 days, according to the FT. Ukrainian officials and NGOs warned that the pause could jeopardize critical initiatives, including support for schools, hospitals, and infrastructure development.

Military assistance to Ukraine, which amounts to $65.9 billion since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, remains unaffected by the freeze, a Ukrainian government official confirmed to the outlet. "Military aid to Ukraine is intact," the official said. "At least as of now, and it is certainly not part of this 90-day freeze."

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed this during a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Jan. 25. Zelensky said that the U.S. had not stopped military aid to Kyiv.

"I am focused on military aid; it has not been stopped, thank God," he said, while declining to discuss whether the freeze affected humanitarian aid projects.

Rubio’s order, however, excludes specific exemptions for Ukraine within non-military programs, unlike the approved waivers for Israel, Egypt, and emergency food aid.