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U.S. State Department officials are drawing up a list of additional exemptions to the aid freeze for Ukraine, Politico reported, citing sources and a document obtained by the publication, which could give Ukraine access to economic and security-related aid that was cut off by the Trump administration.
According to the document, plans to introduce exemptions date back to at least late January, days after the Trump administration imposed a broad freeze on foreign aid. The proposed exemptions concern economic support for Ukraine and mine clearance, drug control and health programs, and accounts to fund support for democratic institutions and civil society.
If approved, these exemptions would go beyond those that Secretary of State Marco Rubio already made last week for “vital humanitarian assistance.” However, it is not yet known whether the exemptions would apply to military aid.
A State Department official said that Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim has been tasked with compiling a list of programs related to Ukraine. He said the process bypasses the Foreign Assistance Division, which is headed by Pete Marocco, a Trump ally and foreign aid skeptic who has played a leading role in dismantling USAID.
As Politico notes, such efforts to expand exemptions for Ukraine hint at disagreements within Trump's team over how to deal with Kyiv.
Aid to Ukraine from the USA
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the United States has provided Ukraine with about $67 billion in weapons to date, and another $31,5 billion in direct financial assistance to the budget for individual programs.
At the same time, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson said that the US has "no appetite" for a new bill on financing Ukraine.
