Ukraine seeks EU funding to revive frozen USAID programs
Photo: Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The Ukrainian government is negotiating with the European Union regarding the financing of frozen USAID projects. Preliminary decisions have already been made, according to Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.
“Negotiations are ongoing. Ukrainian government ministers have already held meetings on critical programs, including the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the Ministry of Justice,” she said at the "Ukraine’s EU Accession: Shaping the Transformation Agenda" conference.
Stefanishyna noted that urgent funding could be allocated for reconstruction, energy resilience, and cybersecurity.
“We also expect that the European Commission, together with G7 countries, will soon announce its position on resuming the work of selection committees responsible for appointing key figures in the judicial and anti-corruption sectors,” the Deputy PM added.
Impact of USAID freeze in Ukraine
The freezing of USAID operations in Ukraine has caused delays in the work of several judicial selection bodies.
“This includes the Ethics Council, the Public Council of International Experts, the commission for selecting the head of the Bureau of Economic Security, and the Judicial Selection Commission for the High Anti-Corruption Court, which is not functioning at full capacity,” Stefanishyna explained.
The Trump administration previously accused USAID of excessive spending and froze its programs, placing the agency under the control of the State Department. The USAID office in Ukraine was also instructed to halt its programs.
According to CNN, the Trump administration plans to reduce USAID staff to fewer than 300 employees, while the remaining 10,000 workers — most of whom were directly hired — will be placed on unpaid leave.
