The U.S. freezes foreign aid but keeps military support for allies
The United States has frozen almost all foreign aid. The directive from the new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, allows for only two exceptions.
Ukraine cannot be certain whether it will receive the already approved U.S. aid. In accordance with President Donald Trump's mandate, the State Department in Washington has ordered a 90-day freeze on most foreign aid. According to an internal department document quoted by the AFP news agency, no new funds will be granted until any new allocation or proposed extension is verified and approved "according to the Republican programme."
So far, the United States has been the largest supporter of Ukraine. Under Trump's Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, billions of dollars worth of weapons were delivered to Kyiv. Last spring, the U.S. Congress approved new funds totalling approximately £50 billion for Ukraine. Most of the money was disbursed by the end of Biden's term, but not all.
Israel and Egypt on the list of exceptions
The directive from the new U.S. Secretary of State specifies only two exceptions where foreign aid will continue. This includes extraordinary food aid provided by the United States in crisis situations, such as in Sudan and Syria, and military aid to Israel and Egypt, which has been increased following the outbreak of Israel's conflict with the Palestinian organisation Hamas.
The United States has long been the largest provider of development aid worldwide, in absolute terms. In 2023, it amounted to a total of over £50 billion. However, relative to gross domestic product, some European countries, especially the Scandinavian states, allocate significantly more to development aid than the USA.
Pistorius warns against stopping support
Meanwhile, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has warned against halting support for Ukraine. "If we stop supporting Ukraine tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow will be the end of Ukraine, the end of a sovereign, free state in the middle of Europe," said the SPD politician in Peine, Lower Saxony. He added that Kyiv must be able to act "from a position of strength" and possibly engage in negotiations with Russia at some point.
Currently, however, Ukraine is on the defensive on the outskirts of Donbas. After heavy fighting around the town of Velyka Novosilka, the Ukrainian armed forces face another setback. As reported by the pro-government Ukrainian military channel "Deep State," Russian troops have taken the town centre and begun fighting the last bastions of resistance. The Ministry of Defence in Moscow had announced a successful regional offensive.
Before the war, Velyka Novosilka had about 5,300 inhabitants. It is the southwesternmost section of the front in the Donetsk region, near the border with the Zaporizhzhia region.
