Policy

State Department may unfreeze some aid for Ukraine – Politico

Senior U.S. State Department officials are drawing up a list of additional exceptions to the frozen foreign aid for Ukraine, which could give the country access to economic and security assistance that is currently blocked. This is stated in a Politico article, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.

According to a State Department official and a document obtained by the publication, these exceptions would go beyond those that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already authorized globally for “vital assistance” to fund programs such as mine action and drug control.

It is unclear whether an exception is planned for State Department-controlled foreign military funding for Ukraine. Congress has already allocated over $4 billion for such assistance to the Ukrainian military.

From a practical standpoint, it is unclear whether additional aid will actually reach Kyiv even with the new exemptions, given that the already approved exemptions for humanitarian aid have been largely stalled.

But from a political perspective, the effort to expand the exemptions for Ukraine points to divisions within the Trump team over relations with Kyiv.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump resorted to verbal attacks against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while pushing for peace talks with Russia. There are concerns that he may leave Kyiv to its own devices. The Trump administration even lobbied against Ukraine at the UN Security Council this week in an attempt to prevent a resolution condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

However, some of Trump’s aides, including Keith Kellogg, the special representative for Russia and Ukraine, and Rubio, have been more critical of Russia.

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How the exemptions work

Plans for the waivers emerged in late January, days after the Trump administration imposed a broad foreign aid freeze. The proposed exemptions covered programs ranging from general economic support to mine action, drug control, and health programs.

These internal conversations took place as early as last week, according to a State Department spokesperson and internal communications between bureau officials.

The proposed exemptions also include accounts that control funding to support Ukraine’s democratic institutions and civil society, internally referred to as transition initiatives and so-called assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia (AEECA).

According to the document, no exemptions will be allowed for programs that promote diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI).

Yuri Kim, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, has been tasked with compiling a list of programs from bureaus and offices across the department that relate to Ukraine as part of the effort to expand the exemptions, a State Department official said.

He said the process bypasses the department’s office of foreign assistance. That office is headed by Pete Morocco, a Trump ally and foreign aid skeptic who played a leading role in dismantling USAID. But the document states that the Office of Foreign Assistance will be consulted.

The slow bureaucratic process has left many programs whose leaders believe they qualify for exemptions frozen. Many groups around the world – including Ukraine – have been unable to restore their funding or even figure out who to contact at USAID to request an exception.

The State Department requires that each program separately prove that it meets the criteria for an exception. Even when waivers are granted, payment systems remain shut down, preventing money from reaching aid organizations, according to a congressional aide.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, New Hampshire) asked Rubio to prioritize the exemptions that allow aid to Ukraine. She noted that she personally saw how the freeze on U.S. aid was hurting Ukrainians during a recent visit to Ukraine and Poland.

“It was heartbreaking,”

– Shaheen said, adding that freezing aid “undermines our national interests.”