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American diplomats have asked the US State Department to urgently make an exception for programs related to support for Ukraine from the 90-day suspension of foreign aid and "stop work" orders issued by the country's new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
This is reported by the Financial Times, citing sources and documents. Citing national security considerations, senior diplomats from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the US State Department have asked Rubio to exclude the work of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ukraine from the scope of the directive he issued.
“We do not know at this time whether this request will be approved – in full or in part – but positive signals are already coming from Washington,” said an email sent to USAID staff in Ukraine on Saturday, which was seen by the FT.
The publication writes that USAID in Ukraine has temporarily suspended issuing “stop work” orders while it reviews a request for exemption from the directive. However, by Saturday evening, some organizations in Kyiv began receiving such orders.
In one such order, shared with the FT by one of the organizations, the contractor was told to “immediately cease work on the USAID/Ukraine contract/task.” The document stated that the contractor “shall not resume work … until written notice from the Client that this order to cease work has been lifted.” The FT notes that the State Department, USAID, and the US Embassy in Kyiv did not respond to requests for comment.
Officials and NGO workers in Ukraine warn that without the approval of the new US Secretary of State, programs such as support for schools and hospitals, as well as efforts to develop economic and energy infrastructure, will be at risk of disruption.
The authors emphasize that exceptions have already been made to Rubio's directive - in particular, regarding military support for Israel and Egypt, as well as emergency food aid.
Regarding military aid to Ukraine specifically, a Ukrainian government official familiar with the matter confirmed to the FT that it was not covered by the suspension order:
“Military aid to Ukraine will not be affected. At least not for now, and it is certainly not part of this 90-day freeze.”
US aid to Ukraine: what is known
US President Donald Trump has suspended all foreign aid programs for 90 days, pending a review of "compliance with Trump's policy objectives."
The Pentagon noted that this order does not apply to military assistance programs to Ukraine. As the US Department of Defense responded to Voice of America, security assistance to Ukraine does not fall under the restrictions of the recent foreign assistance order, as it applies only to development programs, not military support.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stated that there are no restrictions on Ukraine's military support programs.
