The US President Donald Trump has decided to freeze $250 million in military funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
According to Politico sources, the American leader wants to ensure the funds are distributed in the best interest of the United States.
The decision came after the president’s trip to Biarritz, where Trump has actively lobbied for Russia’s return to G7. While the idea caused backlash both internationally and in the US, Trump pushed for extending the invitation to the next G7 summit to Vladimir Putin. Russia was suspended from its membership after the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea in 2014, and the country has not yet stopped its aggression towards Ukraine.
Earlier, President Trump told the reporters that the annexation of Crimea was an illustration of Putin “outsmarting” Barack Obama. “President Putin totally outsmarted President Obama on Crimea and other things,” he said on the account, thus connecting Obama’s presidency to Russia’s actions.
The president’s “warm” attitude towards Russia, however, appears to be rather unpopular among both parties.
“We have serious concerns about a freeze on these important appropriated funds, and we are urgently inquiring with the administration about why they are holding up these resources,” House Appropriations Committee spokesperson Evan Hollander told Politico.
At the same time, House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Tom Malinowski asserted that "the bigger problem is that Trump is once again showing himself to be an asset to Russia.”
Notably, during his testimony in July Special Counsel Mueller stated that Russian interference in the US election system is far from over. “It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here,” Mueller told committee members. “And they expect to do it during the next campaign,” he warned.
Nevertheless, Ukraine is not the only country with unclear US aid situation. Donald Trump’s administration has also presented Congress with a plan to cut $4 billion in foreign aid.
As “Apostrophe” reported earlier, the US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky are going to meet in Warsaw.