Trump freezes US foreign aid for 90 days to review programmes

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 20 January to suspend all foreign aid programmes for 90 days to assess their alignment with his political goals.

The document states that "the United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American value".

It further claims that programmes providing aid to other countries "destabilise world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries".

As a result, the White House announced that "no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States".

AP reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations during his confirmation hearing that "every dollar we spend, every programme we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?"

The executive order signed by Trump grants Rubio, or a person designated by him, the authority to make such decisions in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget.

The Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) are the primary agencies overseeing foreign aid.

Shortly after his Senate confirmation, Rubio stated that he could not specify a timeline for the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine. However, he told reporters that both sides would need to make some concessions.

Trump has previously said that he will not "abandon Ukraine" in his efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war. 

Recently, Ukraine's European allies have expressed cautious optimism that Trump will not pressure Kyiv into premature negotiations with Russia.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz believes that Trump will not completely cut off aid to Ukraine after taking office.