As Russia Targets Neighbors' Democratic Trajectory, USAID Shores Up Democratic Institutions In The Region

Washington D.C./24.02.23/Turan:    As Ukraine enters the second year of its struggle against Russia's attempts to seize its territory and thwart its independent, democratic trajectory, key officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pledge to "stand with Ukraine, walk with Ukraine, for as long as they need us to" as they put it.

Three USAID officials — Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman, Assistant Administrators Erin McKee and Sarah Charles, were briefing the reporters at the State Department's Washington Foreign Press Center.

USAID has provided more than $15 billion in development, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine to address urgent needs created by the war while also remaining focused on what will be needed for reconstruction and recovery. The agency plans to announce even more resources today.

"We’re investing in Ukraine’s economy and helping to resuscitate it after the Kremlin’s attacks on its civilian infrastructure, and we’re helping restore the country’s energy and heating system to counter Putin’s attempts to use winter as a weapon against the people of Ukraine," Coleman said. "We’re protecting public health from the deadly consequences of Russia’s war and supporting Ukraine’s health system to restore services while advancing reforms that are critical."

She went on to add, "we’re also continuing our longstanding work in Ukraine to help Ukrainians fight corruption at every level to build public trust, to maintain donor support, attract private-sector investments, safeguard the country’s institutions, and speed its integration with the rest of Europe."

Asked by TURAN whether USAID was aiming to shore up democratic institutions in the wider region as Putin likely seeks to expand his fight against democracy beyond Ukraine, Coleman said, "yes, you will see more of USAID in the region.... You have seen us increasing our investments around the region to support democracy"

She went on tom add, "this is ultimately about how countries choose to organize themselves, and democracy is very much at the root of it. It’s a threat to Putin’s Russia."

For Erin McKee, assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, Moldova stands on the frontline alongside Ukraine. "Their generosity of receiving and facilitating refugees as well as the threat that they faced from Putin’s weaponization of energy is something that we responded to," she said in response to TURAN's questions.

In addition to the support to Ukraine, she said, USAID "has provided greater development assistance to strengthen their democratic institutions, as well as some direct budget support to help offset the increase in energy prices that they faced when they pulled from the Russian grid and tapped into the EU’s grid last December, in anticipation of Putin’s threats and leverage of energy as a weapon of war, or to keep as leverage against the countries that surrounded Ukraine as he prepared for his invasion, including in the Caucasus."

As for the South Caucasus, McKee said, "we recognize the importance there of obviously also on the frontlines of stability and shoring up democratic institutions and responding to the recognition that a strong, stable, democratic, prosperous Europe and Eurasia is vital to not just Ukraine but to the world."

Alex Raufoglu