Three inspectors from the US Department of Defence, the State Department and USAID – Robert Storch, Diane Shaw and Paul Martin – have arrived in Kyiv. They are to check whether US aid to Ukraine is being used properly, reports
The visit of the inspectors was first reported by US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink.
“I am pleased to welcome back to Kyiv the three inspectors general from the Department of Defence, the State Department, and USAID. Their meetings with implementers, partners, and the Ukrainian government will help strengthen oversight and accountability in U.S. assistance to Ukraine,”
– the ambassador wrote in X.
The next day, the inspectors and the ambassador began a series of meetings with Ukrainian officials. First, they met with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. During the meeting, the Ambassador stressed the importance of oversight and accountability of U.S. security assistance and the Ministry of Defence’s efforts to provide such oversight.
Afterwards, the inspectors met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov and the head of the State Agency for Infrastructure Restoration and Development Mustafa Nayem. As a result of this meeting, the American side drew attention to the need for transparent recovery from the Russian invasion.
With Finance Minister Sergiy Marchenko and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the US officials discussed budget support and overall accountability of US assistance.
In general, the US inspectors began their mission in Ukraine with meetings with top officials responsible for specific areas of US aid. So far, they have not released any interim reports.
The inspectors act in Ukraine on behalf of the US government, but represent the non-governmental and independent US Office of Inspector General (OIG). One of its activities is to monitor the use of US funds under foreign programmes. This includes funding for third parties, such as grants, loans, aid, etc.
The US government set up a separate mission to verify assistance to Ukraine after the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a draft resolution last year requiring the Biden administration to report on funds allocated to Ukraine.