U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday suspending all international aid programs for 90 days while they are reviewed to determine if they align with his political objectives.
It remains unclear how this decision will impact ongoing U.S. aid programs, as funding for many programs has already been approved by the U.S. Congress and must be spent if not already.
Radio Free Europe reached out to the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to inquire whether this decision would affect any planned assistance to Kosovo, but no response has been received so far.
USAID’s website states that over one billion dollars have been spent on Kosovo’s development since 1999. In October last year, USAID celebrated its 25th anniversary in Kosovo, where it has run programs addressing corruption, the rule of law, good governance, fighting disinformation, promoting independent media, strengthening civil society and democracy, and fostering economic development and foreign investment.
In August 2024, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani signed a grant agreement with USAID, offering additional aid worth $34.5 million to Kosovo’s institutions.
This grant was part of a larger agreement, valued at approximately $146 million, aimed at providing better services for citizens, increasing institutional accountability, and improving efficiency in management.
Currently, USAID is funding a number of activities in Kosovo, including:
- Over $12 million in support of legislative reforms and the establishment of a Commercial Court;
- $15 million to improve inclusion and accountability in governance;
- Over $13 million to address corruption and good governance challenges in municipalities;
- Nearly $12 million to improve judicial independence and prioritize citizens’ needs in court proceedings;
- Over $16 million to promote fair competition in local and international markets;
- More than $13 million for citizen participation in local governance;
- Nearly $12 million to strengthen institutional capacities for energy market development.
These aids have continued even during periods when the U.S. and the EU have criticized the Government of Kosovo for decisions primarily concerning the livelihood of Serbs in the four northern Kosovo municipalities, such as the withdrawal of the Serbian dinar, expropriation in northern Kosovo for police base construction, and the closure of parallel institutions operating under the Serbian system.
Erin Elizabeth McKee, the USAID Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, part of the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden, had stated during her visit to Kosovo last year that USAID’s future focus would be supporting the implementation of reforms under the Western Balkans Growth Plan.
“This is a real opportunity for all six countries in the Western Balkans to move forward in EU accession and not only pass reforms but implement them in a meaningful way,” she said.
However, one of the many orders signed by Trump on his first day back in office declared that “the international aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and are, in many cases, contrary to American values.”
The statement continued that such aid “serves to destabilize global peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly opposed to harmonious and stable relations within and between states.”
As a result, Trump declared that “international aid from the United States will no longer be distributed in a way that is not fully in line with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.”
The most recent official calculation of international aid during the Biden administration shows that $68 billion has been allocated for overseas programs ranging from disaster aid to health and pro-democracy initiatives in 204 countries and regions.
Some of the largest recipients of U.S. aid, such as Israel with $3.3 billion annually, Egypt with $1.5 billion, and Jordan with $1.7 billion, are expected to see significant cuts in funding, as these amounts are included in long-term packages dating back decades and, in some cases, are governed by treaty obligations.
Funding for U.N. agencies, including peacekeeping, human rights, and refugee agencies, has traditionally been a target for Republican administrations. Trump’s first administration began reducing international aid spending by suspending payments to several U.N. agencies, including the U.N. Population Fund and funding for the Palestinian Authority.
