Vereshchuk commented on the suspension of USAID funding: «This is a challenge we will overcome»

Iryna Vereshchuk, photo: Presidential Office

Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Iryna Vereshchuk said that in the near future the Ukrainian side will begin consultations with American partners to continue funding for humanitarian response.

She posted this on her Facebook page.

In particular, commenting on the suspension of USAID funding, she noted that this is «not the last challenge we have to overcome».

«Regarding the suspension of USAID funding: Yes, this is unexpected and unpleasant news: both for the government and the public sector. But this is not the first and not the last challenge we have to overcome. I am in charge of the humanitarian response, and a 90-day pause from a key donor is disconcerting. However, I am confident that we will stabilise everything in the humanitarian area. In the near future, we will begin substantive consultations with our American partners to continue funding humanitarian response projects in Ukraine as soon as possible. While we stabilise the situation, project teams need to keep people and the work done», she wrote.

In his turn, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed government officials to provide a report on the status of the programmes that have been suspended. He also noted that part of the funding can be provided from the state budget, and part can be discussed with European and American partners.

«We can provide part of this funding from our public finances, and we will discuss the rest with Europeans and Americans. This applies to many areas — from communications, digitalisation to support for veterans, schools, hospitals and the restoration of», the president said.

As a reminder, on 26 January, it became known that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ukraine had been instructed to suspend all projects and related expenditures.