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The administration of Donald Trump has suspended all U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine, leading to the shutdown of numerous programs — ranging from veteran rehabilitation and support for independent media to humanitarian projects. According to a report by The Guardian, the decision took effect immediately, with no transition period, impacting hundreds of initiatives funded through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Among these are projects for infrastructure restoration, support for internally displaced persons (IDPs), funding for civil servants, and the documentation of war crimes. The Insider has learned that grant recipients were warned that as of Jan. 24, 2025, aid would be suspended and all payments would be subject to review.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion for development, and more than $30 billion in direct budgetary support. In 2024 alone, USAID allocated $522 million for rebuilding facilities damaged by shelling and for maintaining public services. In total, the agency has delivered $22.9 billion to the Ukrainian government for civil servant salaries, critical services, and aid to displaced persons.
Now, all these funds and projects are frozen for at least 90 days during the program review period. Efforts by USAID’s Kyiv office to maintain funding for key initiatives have failed, and officials in Washington have rejected requests for exemptions for critical projects. While military aid remains unaffected for now, the suspension of civilian programs has already led to the closure of veteran support hotlines, cuts to independent media production budgets, and the disruption of humanitarian initiatives in war-affected regions.
Representatives of Ukrainian organizations told The Insider that the termination of USAID funding has led to the suspension of important projects and put their continued work at risk. For example, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU) has completely halted projects related to monitoring war crimes and submitting cases to the European Court of Human Rights. In the media sphere, programs by Hromadske, which operates television and radio stations, have been frozen due to a 15% budget cut, and freelancers had to stop their collaboration. Hromadske Radio has lost a significant portion of its donor funding, forcing it to reduce content output across all platforms. In Realna Gazeta, a newspaper that was evacuated from Luhansk, USAID funding accounted for half of the budget. However, the editorial team expects to keep its operations going for at least six months by relying on a reserve fund and cutting costly content. All of the organizations hope to find alternative sources of funding but admit that the situation remains uncertain.
Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union: War crimes monitoring projects frozen
Oleksandr Pavlichenko, Executive Director of UHHRU
“The war crimes we document remain unchanged, though their legal qualification may vary. This includes illegal detentions, strikes against civilian infrastructure, and other violations. However, much of our work — such as analytics and educational programs on the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine — is now suspended.
We are awaiting a final decision on whether the project will continue, and if so, in what format: as originally planned or with modifications. This means a significant reduction in activities and a need to restructure our operations according to available resources.
Under this project, we were funded exclusively by USAID. Monitoring war crimes, working on international humanitarian law, and related activities have now been completely halted. The project included multiple components — analytical research, educational programs, support for field missions, and strategic cases filed with the European Court of Human Rights. All of this is now effectively frozen. While our organization will continue working, these critical projects are temporarily on hold.”
Hromadske loses 15% of its budget, some projects put on hold
Alyona Nevmerzhytska, CEO of Hromadske
“When we planned our 2025 budget, donor funding — primarily from USAID, though we never received direct USAID grants — accounted for about 15% of our total budget. Now, this 15% is gone.
Some grant-funded projects have been either paused or frozen. For example, we had planned to launch an economics podcast, but that is now postponed. Whether this delay lasts 90 days or less depends on whether we can secure alternative funding sooner.
So far, we haven’t laid off full-time employees, but we have had to stop working with some freelancers. As a result, our core staff — particularly videographers and other team members — are taking on a heavier workload.
Like everyone else, we don’t know if funding will be restored, but we are losing confidence in that possibility. Personally, I don’t expect full funding to return, so we are now actively searching for alternative sources.”
Hromadske Radio: Content volume to decrease, but platforms will remain
Viktoria Yermolaeva, editor-in-chief of Hromadske Radio
“We partially received funding through Internews as a subcontractor. Depending on the month or year, U.S. support could account for up to 80% of our operating needs. Currently, Hromadske Radio operates on a mixed funding model that includes donors from various sources, not just American ones. On average, around 60% of our content production budget comes from donors.
The last U.S.-sourced funding via Internews was received in October; after that, we relied on other donor organizations. USAID’s contribution varied depending on the month and program — sometimes reaching 80%, though in recent months it was around 60%.
The funding cuts will impact all our platforms, but overall, they will continue operating. It’s not so much about staff reductions as it is about fewer shifts, fewer projects, and a smaller-scale operation. We will produce less content simply because we have fewer resources.
Of course, we hope for funding restoration, but we understand that it might not happen. That’s why we are developing a crisis plan and looking for alternative ways to sustain operations.”
Realna Gazeta loses half of its funding but plans to survive without layoffs
Andrii Dikhtiarenko, editor-in-chief of Realna Gazeta
“Approximately 50% of our budget came from USAID grants. This support was particularly crucial because USAID funded our organization's development — so-called core support. Other grants were either project-based or tied to collaborations. We were also actively growing reader support, but alongside other funding sources, it made up the remaining 50%.
Losing this support makes it harder for us to grow, but we were prepared for grant funding to stop at any moment. Realna Gazeta has operated as an exiled media outlet for ten years. We were originally based in Luhansk but had to leave due to occupation. However, we have not always relied on grants or donor support. We kept working because we believe in covering events in occupied territories and supporting displaced persons. Many of us were willing to work as volunteers because our mission is so strong.
Moreover, when we had funding, we made sure to build a reserve fund, which will now help us get through this period. Our goal is to survive without layoffs. We may reduce expensive content production, but our strength has always been fast news, analysis, and reporting from occupied areas. We will keep working — we have a large audience on YouTube, TikTok, and even in [Ukraine’s] occupied territories. We’ve run calculations and determined that we can last at least six more months. Of course, we will actively seek additional funding and appeal to our readers. We already have a project in mind to boost support.”