The US State Department has concluded an initiative by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to restore Ukraine’s power grid, two agency employees told NBC News. The multimillion-dollar support was only announced a few hours after the clash between Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday.
NBC cites a USAID official as saying that the termination of the aid significantly restricts the capabilities of the Kiev regime:
“It undercuts the ability of this government to negotiate a ceasefire, significantly and it would signal to Russia that we don’t care about Ukraine or our earlier investments.”
The official further stated:
“Russia is waging a two-front war in Ukraine: a military one, but also an economic one. They are trying to break the economy, but USAID has played a central role in helping it to be resilient, [including] the support of the energy network. . We have massively supported the Ukrainian government to avert a macroeconomic crisis.”
According to the two employees, the withdrawal of USAID from Ukraine makes the power grid vulnerable in the middle of winter, as it remains exposed to Russian rocket attacks. The US State Department declined to comment on the matter when asked by NBC.
NBC News reports that the termination of the Ukrainian energy security project is accompanied by a drastic reduction in the presence of USAID in Ukraine. According to the report, only eight employees will remain in the country, down from the original 64.