We must secure our services now that the first crisis is over
When a great power turns its gaze inward, the consequences ripple outward to the most vulnerable. The Trump administration's 90-day freeze on US foreign aid has severed a lifeline that Ukraine — three years into a war it did not choose — had come to depend upon, with $7.6 billion in humanitarian and development funding now suspended. For organizations like Veteran Hub in Kyiv, the abstraction of geopolitical policy becomes immediate and human: unanswered calls from veterans in crisis, staff laid off, futures suspended. This moment asks a perennial question of powerful nations — what obligations, if any, does strength carry toward those caught in the shadow of history?
- A single executive order has placed roughly 10,000 USAID employees on administrative leave and left thousands of humanitarian organizations worldwide without funding overnight.
- In Ukraine, the freeze struck with particular force — Veteran Hub lost two-thirds of its budget within days, forcing 31 layoffs and leaving 400 veterans' calls unanswered in a single week.
- The disruption extends to Poland, where over a million Ukrainian refugees depend on services that humanitarian workers have been forced to abandon mid-project.
- Ukrainian NGOs are scrambling to replace American funding with EU sources and local donors, but the €2 billion in European aid falls far short of the $7.6 billion gap left behind.
- Long-term development work — energy reform, independent media, agricultural recovery — faces collapse, with economists warning that many Ukrainian organizations simply will not survive.
On January 24th, Ivona Kostyna learned that the funding keeping her organization alive would vanish. The Trump administration had frozen billions in US foreign aid, and Veteran Hub — a Ukrainian charity offering psychological support and job training to war veterans — suddenly faced losing two-thirds of its annual budget. Within days, 31 of its 100 staff were laid off. Around 400 calls from veterans seeking help went unanswered in the final week of January alone.
Ukraine's exposure to this freeze is acute. Since Russia's full-scale invasion three years ago, the country received approximately $7.6 billion from USAID and the US State Department — funding that went far beyond emergency relief to cover bomb shelter construction, agricultural recovery, energy sector reform, and independent media fighting Russian disinformation. The stop-work order arrived with no transition period, no warning that felt real until it was already happening. "It wasn't ever expected that it will be so massive and so immediate," Kostyna said from her Kyiv office.
Local government and donors have guaranteed staff salaries through April, but beyond that, the charity's future is uncertain — a reality made heavier by the fact that many of her team members have lost loved ones in the war.
The freeze reflects a sweeping policy shift. The US has historically funded roughly 41 percent of all global humanitarian aid. The Trump administration's executive order has placed around 10,000 USAID employees on administrative leave worldwide, and some observers believe the agency may be wound down entirely or absorbed into the State Department — a striking reversal for an institution that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was publicly championing just three years ago.
The damage reaches beyond Ukraine. In Poland, humanitarian workers have been pulled from projects overnight, leaving over a million Ukrainian refugees with diminished support and worsening mental health crises. Economist Dmytro Boyarchuk warned bluntly that many Ukrainian development organizations "will not survive for sure" without USAID's backing.
The European Union may absorb some of the shortfall — its combined aid since the invasion totals roughly €2 billion — but that figure cannot replace what has been withdrawn. Ukrainian NGOs are now racing toward new funding models, with little time and no guarantee of success. As Kostyna put it, they do not have the luxury of waiting for Washington to decide. The first crisis may be passing. The longer uncertainty has only just begun.
On January 24th, Ivona Kostyna learned that the funding keeping her organization alive would vanish. The Trump administration had just frozen billions in US foreign aid, and Veteran Hub—a Ukrainian charity providing psychological support and job training to war veterans—suddenly faced the loss of two-thirds of its annual budget. Within days, the organization had to lay off 31 of its 100 staff members. During the final week of January, about 400 calls from veterans seeking help went unanswered.
Veteran Hub is one of thousands of humanitarian organizations worldwide caught in the shock wave of the 90-day freeze announced at the end of January. But Ukraine's situation is particularly acute. Since Russia's full-scale invasion three years ago, the country has received approximately $7.6 billion in humanitarian aid and development assistance from USAID and the US State Department. That money has funded far more than emergency relief. It has paid for bomb shelter construction, supported agricultural equipment purchases for farmers whose facilities were destroyed, financed energy sector reforms, and sustained independent media outlets fighting Russian disinformation. The sudden withdrawal of these funds has left Ukrainian NGOs scrambling to survive.
Kostyna described the freeze as completely unexpected, despite warnings that had circulated beforehand. "It was completely unexpected," she told journalists from her Kyiv office. "Of course, we heard the news, but it wasn't ever expected that it will be so massive and so immediate." The organization received a stop-work order with no time to transition contracts or secure alternative funding. Local government in Vinnytsia and other donors stepped in to guarantee staff salaries through the end of April, but beyond that date, the charity's future remains uncertain. Kostyna now faces the grim reality that her team members—many of whom have lost loved ones in battle—may not have jobs to return to.
The freeze reflects a broader policy shift. The US has historically been the world's largest aid donor, funding about 41 percent of all global humanitarian aid according to the United Nations. In 2023 alone, the US government allocated more than $64 billion to foreign aid. The Trump administration's executive order has placed roughly 10,000 USAID employees on administrative leave globally, with the exception of senior leadership. The agency's website now displays only a notice about the freeze. Some observers speculate the administration may wind down USAID entirely or absorb it into the State Department. The policy aligns with Trump's "America First" campaign platform, which prioritizes domestic American interests over international commitments.
The irony is sharp: Marco Rubio, now serving as Secretary of State and leading the charge to review USAID's work, was championing the agency's mission just three years ago. The shift signals a fundamental recalibration of American foreign policy priorities.
The impact extends beyond Ukraine's borders. In Poland, which has welcomed more than one million Ukrainian refugees since the invasion began, humanitarian organizations have had to withdraw staff from projects overnight. A humanitarian official in Warsaw described the effect on vulnerable populations: staff are concerned, and the sudden withdrawal of support pushes already precarious individuals into worse mental health crises. The freeze has disrupted services for people with nowhere else to turn.
Dmytro Boyarchuk, an economist and executive director of CASE, a Kyiv-based think tank that has worked closely with USAID on economic reforms, warned that many Ukrainian development organizations "will not survive for sure" without the agency's funding. USAID's flexibility in funding innovative projects—from independent media platforms like Ukrainer to agricultural grants for fertilizer purchases—represented a form of soft power that aligned with supporting Ukraine's long-term stability. That approach appears to be ending.
The European Union may partially fill the gap. The EU for Ukraine Fund and EU humanitarian aid since the invasion have totaled about €2 billion combined. But that falls far short of replacing the $7.6 billion in US support. Ukrainian NGOs are now racing to identify new funding sources and develop sustainable models that do not depend on American generosity. Kostyna summed up the reality facing her sector: "We don't have the benefit of waiting for the US to decide on their policies. We must secure our services and now that the first crisis is over, we will start fundraising for more sustainable solutions." The immediate crisis may have passed for some organizations, but the long-term uncertainty is only beginning.
Citas Notables
It was completely unexpected. Of course, we heard the news, but it wasn't ever expected that it will be so massive and so immediate.— Ivona Kostyna, chairperson of Veteran Hub
They will not survive for sure without the agency's funding in future.— Dmytro Boyarchuk, economist and executive director of CASE think tank, on Ukrainian development organizations
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did this freeze hit so hard, so fast? Surely organizations had contingency plans.
The speed was the problem. These weren't abstract budget cuts—they were immediate stop-work orders. Veteran Hub had contracts designed to run for months or years. You can't just pause those. You have to pay people or let them go.
But $7.6 billion is a lot of money. Couldn't Ukraine have absorbed that loss from other sources?
Not in three years. That money wasn't just emergency aid. It was rebuilding. Energy sector reform, agricultural equipment, salaries for people doing development work. You can't replace that overnight with EU funding or local donors. Those take time to mobilize.
What happens to the veterans themselves—the people calling Veteran Hub?
They're calling a phone that no one answers. Some are dealing with trauma, others need job training. The psychological support stops. The continuity breaks. For people already fragile, that's devastating.
Is there any chance the freeze gets lifted?
It's a 90-day review, so technically yes. But the rhetoric from the State Department suggests this is ideological, not temporary. They're talking about realigning aid to serve American interests. That's not a pause—that's a reorientation.
So Ukrainian organizations are just... on their own now?
Mostly. Some have local government backing, some are hunting for EU funding. But the flexibility USAID offered—funding independent media, supporting farmers with fertilizer grants—that kind of soft power investment doesn't fit the new administration's worldview. Ukraine has to find a different model.