The Blubber

This week, the State Department ended a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) initiative that had invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore Ukraine’s energy grid, which has been repeatedly targeted by Russian military attacks, according to two USAID officials working on the agency’s Ukraine mission.

The attacks on energy facilities have caused power outages in some regions of Ukraine, and the country’s infrastructure has been under near-constant assault throughout the three-year conflict.

“This seriously undermines the administration’s ability to negotiate a ceasefire and signals to Russia that we no longer care about Ukraine or our past investments,” one USAID official involved in the Ukraine mission told NBC News.

The official added, “Russia is waging a two-pronged war in Ukraine: a military one and an economic one. They are trying to cripple the economy, but USAID has been essential in helping it remain resilient, especially by strengthening the energy grid… We’ve provided significant support to the Ukrainian government to prevent a macroeconomic crisis.”

In addition to ending the Ukraine Energy Security Project, USAID is also drastically reducing its presence in Ukraine.

Prior to the latest actions by the Trump administration, 64 American government employees and contractors were working in Ukraine for the agency. After the administration placed the remaining global workforce on administrative leave and ordered non-essential personnel to return to the U.S., only eight personnel are expected to remain in the war-ravaged country.

The two officials cautioned that USAID’s withdrawal from Ukraine could leave the country’s energy grid vulnerable during the harsh winter months as it faces continued Russian missile attacks.