Rubio's freeze on foreign aid raises global concerns
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the freezing of nearly all foreign aid programmes for at least 90 days. According to news agency sources, this will also affect U.S. support for Ukraine, although aid to Israel will remain unaffected.
Rubio sent a memorandum to employees of the State Department and USAID, ordering the suspension of work on foreign aid programmes. The aim is to develop a report on the compliance of these programmes with U.S. foreign policy goals. The suspension includes military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
The order issued by Rubio exceeds the executive order signed on Trump's first day in office to halt U.S. development assistance and covers all State Department and USAID programmes. According to a Congressional source associated with Democrats, this also means halting all aid to Ukraine, both military and humanitarian, as well as programmes for training Ukrainian soldiers. This information about the suspension of aid projects for Ukraine is also confirmed by a Reuters source.
"Almost everything is under the supervision of the State Department, except for financial aid, which goes through the World Bank. But let's say if Ukrainian energy infrastructure were damaged by Russian shelling tomorrow, the U.S. would not be able to help prevent Ukrainians from freezing," a PAP interlocutor said.
This information was also confirmed by another PAP source associated with the State Department. Reports from, among others, PBS television and the portal Politico indicate that Taiwan will also be affected.
Exceptions and fear of losing credibility
According to the document, exceptions to the freeze include food programmes and military support for Israel and Egypt. Rubio's decision has sparked outrage among Democrats, who fear the U.S. will lose credibility on the international stage.
"For years, Republicans in Congress have decried what they see as a lack of U.S. credibility vis-a-vis countries like China, Russia, and Iran. Now our credibility is on the line, and it appears we will cut and run from American commitments to our partners around the world," the congressmen wrote.
"In arbitrarily blocking our foreign assistance, we lose trust: from the people relying on this aid for survival whether in Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, Ukraine, or those standing in harm’s way delivering this aid," they added.
