Welcome to our Young Generation Policy Briefs series! In this ninth issue, Daniel Sinani examines the consequences of the United States’ decision to dismantle USAID for Ukraine and explores whether—and how—the European Union should step in to fill the resulting funding gap.
Executive Summary:
In March 2025, the US government under Trump decided to terminate around 83% of programmes run by USAID, a cornerstone of US foreign aid for over six decades. The agency was formally dissolved in July 2025, with remaining projects transferred to the State Department. This hit Ukraine particularly hard, as it had been the largest recipient of USAID funds since 2022. The cuts have left a significant funding gap at a time when the world is facing major crises.
While the EU is providing comprehensive support to Ukraine, particularly through the Ukraine Facility, it must ensure the new measures are feasible, impactful and aligned with its values. The policy brief discusses three options:
(1) Maintaining the status quo
(2) Fully replacing the lost USAID funds
(3) Providing targeted and prioritised assistance in cooperation with international partners
The brief comes to the conclusion that the latter offers the best compromise between providing rapid assistance, political feasibility and ensuring value coherence.
Explore all Young Generation Policy Briefs here!
Young Generation Policy Brief no. 9:
About the author:
DANIEL SINANI
MA Student in European Studies, European University Viadrina
Daniel Sinani is an MA student in European Studies at the European University Viadrina, specialising in politics with a focus on EU foreign policy and Eastern Europe. He completed his undergraduate degree at the German Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences and has gained practical experience through his professional work within Germany’s federal public administration.
ValEUs Young Generation Policy Briefs
Policy briefs are regularly published as part of the Jean Monnet Policy Network “ValEUs”. The project, which is intended to provide a realistic account of EU foreign policy, thus aims to expand the societal dialogue on project results. The policy briefs are written from a student perspective, identifying problems with the self-proclaimed European values and suggesting possible solutions.
