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US diplomats have requested an urgent exemption for Ukraine-related programmes from a 90-day freeze on foreign aid and “stop work” orders issued by secretary of state Marco Rubio, according to documents seen by the Financial Times and people familiar with the matter.
Citing national security concerns, senior diplomats in the state department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs have asked Rubio to grant a full waiver to exclude the work of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ukraine from the sweeping directive that came into effect immediately after being issued on Friday.
“We do not know at this time whether this request will be approved — in whole or in part — but there are positive signals thus far out of Washington,” said an email sent to USAID staff in Ukraine on Saturday that was reviewed by the FT.
USAID in Ukraine has temporarily held off issuing “stop work” orders while the exemption request is being considered, according to the email and officials at some of those partner organisations.
