The Trump administration is proposing to cut funding for nearly 20 war crimes investigation projects.
The White House has recommended ending financial programs that investigate war crimes and hold nearly two dozen U.S. forces accountable around the world. That could include Ukraine.
Reuters writes about this.
According to documents that the agency has reviewed, the matter concerns the investigation of crimes in Myanmar, Syria, and the investigation of alleged Russian crimes in Ukraine.
However, Reuters sources emphasize that the OMB recommendation is not a final decision to end the programs, as it gives the State Department the opportunity to appeal.
Reuters reports that the programs also include work in Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Belarus, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Gambia.
Several programs designed to eliminate the threat are pursuing projects to ensure accountability for war crimes in Ukraine, three people familiar with the matter said. This is underscored by Global Rights Compliance, an organization that helps collect evidence of Russian military war crimes and crimes against humanity across Ukraine, such as sexual violence and torture.
As Reuters notes, the White House recommendation is not a final decision to cancel the programs. The State Department can appeal it. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is unlikely to favor keeping most of the programs, two officials said. One of the sources said Rubio could support key initiatives.
The Donald Trump administration has frozen and then cut billions of dollars in foreign aid since it took office in January 2025. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which provided that aid, has been reorganized, with some of its functions transferred to the State Department.
The freeze on foreign aid, Reuters reported in February, has led to a sharp decline in funding for projects that help Kyiv investigate war crimes, with dozens of workers on those projects laid off.
Earlier it was reported that the US plans to withdraw from the group investigating the invasion of Ukraine.
