**USAID Cuts: A Blow to Ukraine**
The Trump administration has announced that it is cutting over 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) foreign aid contracts, affecting $60 billion in foreign assistance. This decision comes after a review of USAID’s programs and amid efforts to merge the agency under the State Department.
**Impact on Ukraine**
The cuts will affect various projects funded by USAID, including school reconstruction, bomb shelters, critical energy repairs, and civil society initiatives in Ukraine. The agency has provided $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and more than $30 billion in direct budget support to Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
**Ukraine’s Response**
The Ukrainian government is in talks with private and EU partners to replace funding sources for key projects in energy infrastructure, veterans’ affairs, and other areas. The head of the mine action department, Ruslan Berehulia, has announced that 51 million euros ($53 million) have already been raised.
**Other Developments**
Russia launched 166 Shahed-type attack drones against Ukraine overnight, with 90 shot down over 11 oblasts and 72 decoy drones lost without causing damage. A Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for the second round of Russian-U.S. talks. Ukrainian forces are actively pushing back against Russian troops in eastern Donetsk Oblast.
**Global Reaction**
The Romanian Prosecutor General‘s office has charged a pro-Russian individual with “incitement to actions against the constitutional order” and other alleged crimes related to the Nov. 24 elections. Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court ordered a full recount of the country’s parliamentary election results following an audit that discovered voting discrepancies.
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