US President Donald Trump’s executive order to pause all United States foreign development assistance and the subsequent stop-work and stop-spending directives from Secretary of State Marco Rubio will have far-reaching effects in Ukraine, where Russia’s full-scale invasion will soon enter its fourth year.
A wide range of USAID-funded programs providing critical relief in sectors affected by the war, including health care, agriculture, psychological and legal support to veterans, and initiatives to address war crimes are now threatened by the orders.
For some war-affected communities, USAID’s work on reconstruction of damaged civilian infrastructure has been lifesaving. Stopping that work raises serious concerns for the safety of people in those areas.
The stoppage is also a devastating setback for the many programs aimed at developing and strengthening Ukraine’s democracy, which Ukrainians have fought to protect despite the full-scale Russian invasion, and other critical programming in place for years.
Another initiative at risk is the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which provides global funding for HIV treatment, prevention, and research. Suspending these disbursements in Ukraine could cost lives. According to Dmytro Sherembei, board chair of 100% Life, Ukraine’s largest organization for people living with HIV, America’s longstanding support to Ukraine prevented what could have been one of the most severe epidemics of HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis in Europe after Russia’s invasion.
“When the war began and everything was paralyzed, PEPFAR’s support enabled us to quickly purchase and distribute lifesaving antiretroviral therapy for approximately 126,000 [people living with] HIV nationwide, ensuring 18 months of treatment,” Sherembei told me.
This specialized treatment is not available in pharmacies and cannot be paused or postponed without jeopardizing years of previous therapy. “Thanks to PEPFAR, every second HIV patient in Ukraine has been diagnosed and received treatment. With limited [Ukrainian] government funding, there is no alternative to this program for us. You cannot simply put lives on pause.”
While the new administration assesses the effectiveness of these and other foreign assistance programs, the three-month pause could undermine progress that has already been made. The US should continue assistance programs while conducting its review to avoid the stoppage’s likely harmful implications in Ukraine and across the globe.
