US halts support for Ukraine's energy recovery program – NBC News
Illustrative photo: Ukraine's power system is being restored after Russian shelling (Getty Images)
The US State Department has halted USAID’s initiative to restore Ukraine’s energy system. Hundreds of millions of dollars had been invested in the program, NBC News reports.
According to the outlet, support for Ukraine’s energy recovery program was discontinued this week.
“It significantly undercuts this administration’s abilities to negotiate on the ceasefire, and it’d signal to Russia that we don’t care about Ukraine or our past investments,” an official from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) told NBC News.
He noted that Russia is waging an economic war against Ukraine, but USAID has played a central role in helping Ukraine’s economy remain resilient.
“We’ve provided vast amount of support to the Ukrainian government to avoid a macroeconomic crisis,” the USAID official added.
NBC News recalls that USAID previously had 64 staff members working in Ukraine. However, after the Trump administration’s decision to place nearly all of them on leave and bring them back to the US, only eight agency employees will remain in Ukraine.
Trump’s decision
A few weeks ago, US President Donald Trump suspended funding for the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
This decision led to the shutdown of several key programs in Ukraine, including support for veterans, the construction of new border checkpoints, and more.
