US halts assistance to Ukraine, according to Politico
The US has allegedly halted almost all current aid grants to Ukraine. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Trump administration has reportedly put a hold on assistance grants as part of a comprehensive foreign policy review.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has frozen nearly all aid grants to Ukraine for a duration of 90 days, according to a report from PMG released on Friday. This decision follows an order from President Donald Trump to examine all forms of foreign aid.
Rubio has directed diplomatic and consular offices to implement “stop-work orders” on virtually all “existing foreign assistance awards,” as stated in an internal document cited by PMG.
The report indicates that this order has “shocked” officials within the State Department and seems to extend to funding for military assistance destined for Ukraine.
PMG mentioned that three current officials and two former officials familiar with the situation explained that Rubio’s directive entails that “no further actions will be taken to disperse aid funding to programs already approved by the US government.”
The BBC also reviewed the memo from the State Department, reporting that it seems to “affect everything from development assistance to military aid.”
While the Pentagon had previously informed Voice of America that the aid freeze would not interfere with “security assistance to Ukraine,” Rubio’s memo reportedly provides exceptions only for military aid to Israel and Egypt, without referencing other countries.
Journalist Ken Klippenstein shared what he claimed is a copy of Rubio’s guidance, stating that it “pauses all new obligations of funding, pending a review, for foreign assistance programs” financed through the State Department and the US Agency for International Development.
Trump, who was inaugurated on Monday, has ordered a 90-day suspension of all “foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy.”
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has frozen nearly all aid grants to Ukraine for a duration of 90 days, according to a report from PMG released on Friday. This decision follows an order from President Donald Trump to examine all forms of foreign aid.
Rubio has directed diplomatic and consular offices to implement “stop-work orders” on virtually all “existing foreign assistance awards,” as stated in an internal document cited by PMG.
The report indicates that this order has “shocked” officials within the State Department and seems to extend to funding for military assistance destined for Ukraine.
PMG mentioned that three current officials and two former officials familiar with the situation explained that Rubio’s directive entails that “no further actions will be taken to disperse aid funding to programs already approved by the US government.”
The BBC also reviewed the memo from the State Department, reporting that it seems to “affect everything from development assistance to military aid.”
While the Pentagon had previously informed Voice of America that the aid freeze would not interfere with “security assistance to Ukraine,” Rubio’s memo reportedly provides exceptions only for military aid to Israel and Egypt, without referencing other countries.
Journalist Ken Klippenstein shared what he claimed is a copy of Rubio’s guidance, stating that it “pauses all new obligations of funding, pending a review, for foreign assistance programs” financed through the State Department and the US Agency for International Development.
Trump, who was inaugurated on Monday, has ordered a 90-day suspension of all “foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy.”
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
