US freezes foreign aid but Israel, Egypt remain key allies
The United States has frozen nearly all foreign aid. The directive from the new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, includes only two exceptions.
Ukraine is uncertain whether it will receive the already approved U.S. aid. In accordance with President Donald Trump's mandate, the State Department in Washington has ordered a 90-day freeze on most foreign aid. No new funds will be granted until any new allocation or proposed extension is verified and approved "according to the Republican program," according to an internal department document quoted by the AFP news agency.
Until now, the United States has been Ukraine's primary supporter. Under Trump's Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, billions of dollars worth of weapons were delivered to Kyiv. In the spring of last year, the U.S. Congress approved new funds totaling approximately 61 billion dollars for Ukraine. Most of the money was disbursed by the end of Biden's term, but not all.
Israel and Egypt on the list of exceptions
The directive from the new U.S. Secretary of State provides for only two exceptions where foreign aid will not be frozen. This involves extraordinary food aid provided by the United States in crisis situations, such as in Sudan and Syria, and military aid to Israel and Egypt, which has been increased following the outbreak of Israel's conflict with the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.
The United States has long been the largest provider of development aid worldwide, measured in absolute terms. In 2023, it amounted to over 64 billion dollars. However, in relation to the gross domestic product, some European countries, particularly the Scandinavian states, allocate significantly more to development aid than the USA.
Pistorius warns against stopping support
Meanwhile, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has warned against halting support for Ukraine. "If we stop supporting Ukraine tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow will be the end of Ukraine, the end of a sovereign, free state in the middle of Europe," said the SPD politician in Peine, Lower Saxony. He added that Kyiv must be able to act "from a position of strength" and potentially engage in negotiations with Russia at some point.
However, Ukraine is currently on the defensive on the outskirts of Donbas. After heavy fighting around the town of Velyka Novosilka, the Ukrainian armed forces face another setback. As reported by the pro-government Ukrainian military channel Deep State, Russian troops have taken the town center and begun fighting the last bastions of resistance. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow had earlier announced a successful offensive in the region.
Before the war, Velyka Novosilka had about 5,300 inhabitants. It is the southwesternmost section of the front in the Donetsk region, near the border with the Zaporizhzhia region.
