Media: US draft budget for 2018 cuts Ukraine aid by almost 70%
The 2018 budget plan disclosed in March by the US administration envisages a reduction in international aid for Ukraine by 68.8%, Voice of America reports.
The budget plan disclosed in March by the US administration envisages a two-thirds reduction in aid for developing countries, although no details were given. According to the Department of State’s 15-page budget document, obtained by the Foreign Policy magazine, the restructuring will include a transfer of money from the development aid program to a program which is clearly related to the purposes of national security. The document is designated, “not classified, but sensitive”.
“As for Ukraine… the amount of aid for 2018 in the preliminary budget plan was supposed to be more than $570 million. However, the new draft assumes a reduction in funding to $177 million,” the report on Voice of America states, citing the document obtained by the Foreign Policy.
As the Foreign Policy reports, the envisaged reduction in aid for Ukraine is 68.8%.
“One of the primary topics and goals of US policy in Ukraine for many years has been to encourage them to move towards European institutes,” said former US ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor.
“It is in the US’s interests for them not to move towards Russian institutes,” the current vice-president of the Institute of Peace added.