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U.S. Officials Seek Exemption for Ukraine's USAID Operations from Rubio's 90-Day Foreign Aid Freeze Citing National Security Concerns

Jan 25, 2025, 09:47 PM

U.S. officials are advocating for an exemption for Ukraine from a 90-day freeze on foreign aid initiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Senior diplomats from the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs have formally requested that programs related to Ukraine, particularly those under USAID, be excluded from the freeze. This request is driven by national security concerns, as reported by the Financial Times. The freeze includes 'stop work' orders that could impact various Ukraine-related initiatives, prompting the urgent appeal from U.S. diplomats.