US State Department seeks to unlock more frozen funds for Ukraine - Politico
Senior US State Department officials are compiling a list of additional exemptions to the foreign aid freeze for Ukraine that could give the country access to some economic and security-related assistance currently on hold.
This was reported by Politico citing sources, Censor.NET informs.
It is noted that these efforts highlight the internal disagreements within the Trump administration over how to treat Kyiv.
If enacted, the waivers would go beyond ones that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has allowed worldwide for "core life-saving" assistance to fund programs such as demining and narcotics control, according to the sources of publication.
On a practical level, it’s uncertain that additional Ukraine aid would make it to Kyiv even with new exemptions.
The State Department sidestepped a question about whether new Ukraine waivers had been granted, saying in a statement that "programs that serve our nation’s interests will continue. However, programs that aren’t aligned with our national interest will not."
A State Department official and two other people familiar with the plans told Politico on condition of anonymity that, according to an analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations from last fall, Congress has allocated $175 billion for aid to Ukraine, other countries affected by the war and related programs.
A small slice of that — around $3 billion — is for humanitarian aid, but those funds can go a long way because such material is less expensive to buy than weapons.Plans for the exemptions date to at least late January, days after the Trump administration imposed the broad foreign aid freeze, according to the document.
The exemptions proposed in it covered programs ranging from general economic support to landmine removal to narcotics control and health programs.
According to the article, they also include accounts that oversee funding to support Ukraine’s democratic institutions and civil society, referred to internally as transition initiatives and so-called assistance to Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia. At the same time, waivers would not be permitted for programs that encourage diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.
According to a Politico source, Yuri Kim, the principal deputy assistant secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, has been tasked with compiling a list of programs from bureaus and offices across the department that relate to Ukraine as part of the effort to expand the exemptions.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s ranking member, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), has asked Rubio to prioritize waivers that allow aid to go to Ukraine.
She said she saw firsthand how a freeze on U.S. aid was hurting Ukrainians during a recent visit to Ukraine and Poland.
