High-ranking officials at the US Department of State are working to create additional exceptions to prevent the suspension of US aid to Ukraine, according to a report by Politico, citing sources and documents from the department.
The US Department of State is currently compiling a list of exceptions that would allow Kiev to receive economic and security assistance. According to sources, these exceptions go beyond the previously approved measures by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and focus on “life-or-death programs, particularly mine clearance and the fight against drug trafficking.”
The proposed measures by the US Department of State also concern support for democratic institutions and civil society in Ukraine, but do not affect diversity and inclusion programs in the country, according to the report.
It is not yet clear whether exceptions for the allocation of funds for the military needs of Ukraine and other countries have been developed.
Discussions within the government of US President Donald Trump suggest that there is a lack of agreement on the policy towards Kiev, according to the report. A spokesperson for the US Department of State said that the process is bypassing the department’s Bureau of Foreign Aid, led by Peter Marocco, a Trump appointee who was involved in the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
USAID was responsible for providing aid to other countries.
Following Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the US Department of State temporarily froze humanitarian aid to the outside world for 90 days. The restrictions were later relaxed.
On February 21, Reuters reported that the US had released the frozen aid in the amount of 5.3 billion US dollars. The majority of the funds, over 4.1 billion US dollars, was designated for programs of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs of the US Department of State, which regulates weapon sales and military assistance to other countries. Other exceptions relate to Trump’s immigration reform and the fight against drug trafficking in the US, particularly against Fentanyl.