Donald Trump's presidential directive for a 90-day pause on providing international assistance does not affect military aid programs to Ukraine, reported the Ukrainian service of "Voice of America" from the U.S. Department of Defense.
"Security assistance to Ukraine is not subject to the limitations of the recent foreign aid directive, as it pertains only to development programs, not military support," stated "Voice of America" quoting the Pentagon's message on its website on Thursday.
This means that contracts for weapon production for Ukraine under the USAI program, established by the Biden administration, remain valid. Additionally, Trump's specific directive does not impact any residual and previously planned arms deliveries from U.S. stockpiles under the PDA program, which were announced by Joe Biden.
As reported, on his first day in office, Trump signed a directive halting U.S. foreign assistance for development programs for 90 days. The directive mandates that all heads of departments and agencies responsible for U.S. foreign development assistance programs must immediately suspend the allocation and disbursement of funds to foreign countries and international non-governmental organizations until such programs are reviewed for effectiveness and alignment with U.S. policy. This review must be conducted within 90 days of the directive's signing.
Andrei Kovalenko, head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation (CCD) at the National Security and Defense Council, stated that this directive does not apply to military aid for Ukraine. "The directive signed by U.S. President Trump to suspend international assistance for 90 days does not concern military aid to Ukraine. It is focused on other matters," he wrote on Telegram.