Trump's foreign aid freeze sparks chaos and court intervention
"US military assistance to Ukraine continues under previously approved aid packages. Please do not panic," wrote Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Kovalenko referred to information from "The New York Times," which reported that "the stop order applies to most military and security assistance programs, including in Ukraine, Taiwan and Jordan."
"US military assistance to Ukraine CONTINUES under previously approved aid packages. I will provide more details later, but please do not panic over sensational headlines and do not misinterpret the situation," wrote Kovalenko on Telegram.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump suspended all American foreign aid programs for 90 days to assess their alignment with his foreign policy. Subsequently, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the freezing of nearly all foreign aid programs for at least 90 days.
Chaos after Trump’s decision: Judge blocks implementation of the decree
Chaos continues as a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's decision to halt support on Tuesday.
"The order capped the most chaotic day for the U.S. government since Trump returned to office, with uncertainty over a crucial financial lifeline causing panic and confusion among states, schools and organizations that rely on trillions of dollars from Washington," commented AP.
The judge blocked the freezing of funds just a few minutes before the decree was scheduled to take effect.
President Zelensky stated on Saturday, January 25, that the USA had not suspended military aid to his country. "I know there are some restrictions, we need to look at them in detail. The restrictions are for 90 days on humanitarian programs. I don’t know about this, I don’t see this money. I can only say that Ukraine might not receive what I’m dealing with. I am focused on military aid, and it has not been stopped, thank God," Zelensky said.
However, on Tuesday, Zelensky announced that the Ukrainian authorities would support some projects previously funded by the USA and implemented by Ukrainian non-governmental organizations.
"These are humanitarian programmes," said Zelensky, noting that he had asked the government for a report on the aid suspended by the U.S. President, mainly transferred through the USAID agency.
"We can provide part of this funding through our state finances, and we will discuss some of them with Europeans and Americans. These include many areas – from communications and digitalization to support for veterans, schools, hospitals, and reconstruction," he emphasized.
