How Trump's Ukraine aid cuts undermine justice for Russian war crimes
The Impact of U.S. Aid Cuts on War Crimes Accountability in Ukraine
By Anthony Deutsch
Firsthand Accounts of Russian War Crimes
IZIUM, Ukraine, May 31 (Reuters) - Roksolana Makar braved icy roads and the threat of drone strikes to interview a woman in the Ukrainian town of Izium who said Russian forces tortured her.
Surrounded by woods and farmland, Izium still bears scars from a 2022 Russian occupation that left bridges smashed and buildings flattened. The woman told Makar, a war-crimes investigator for a Ukrainian nonprofit, that Russian soldiers detained her at a battery plant for 10 days that year.
There, the woman said, she was beaten, electrically shocked, suffocated with a gas mask and raped.
"I asked them to kill me because I couldn’t take it anymore," said the woman, 55, who asked to be identified only by one name, Alla.
Efforts to Document Atrocities
Horrified by Russia’s alleged atrocities, Makar aims to document such accounts before evidence is destroyed and memories fade. But she worries fewer perpetrators will answer for their crimes after the United States stopped funding her organization, Truth Hounds, and dozens of others seeking justice in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two.
The U.S. Role in Global Justice
Since the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals, the U.S. has championed accountability for many of the world’s worst atrocities, supporting investigations and tribunals. But the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump cut tens of millions of dollars in funding for this work last year when it slashed overseas-development aid to advance the president’s "America first" agenda, according to a Reuters review of government data and interviews with eight current and former American officials. Ukraine was the largest single recipient, the officials said.
"There's less hope" for accountability, Makar said after interviewing Alla in an Izium office in January.
Reuters could not independently verify Alla’s account. The Kremlin and Russia’s defense ministry did not answer questions about her case or other specific incidents in this story. Russia has repeatedly denied committing war crimes, calling the accusations Western propaganda.
Scale of War Crimes in Ukraine
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office says it has opened more than 230,000 war-crimes cases since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Allegations include targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, abduction and deportation of children, torture and sexual violence.
Consequences of U.S. Aid Cuts
The deep U.S. aid cuts "could lead to a lot of victims being denied justice," said Beth Van Schaack, ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice under former President Joe Biden.
The State Department said the U.S. is shifting the war’s financial burden to Europe and other "willing partners" but still provides substantial assistance to Ukraine, including programs for "war crimes, justice and accountability for atrocities."
Effects on Ukrainian and International Justice Efforts
To understand the consequences of the cuts, Reuters interviewed more than 40 members of an extensive U.S.-supported network engaged in investigating Ukraine war crimes, aiding prosecutions and supporting victims. They included law enforcement officials, legal experts, human-rights activists and researchers. Almost all said their efforts have been curtailed, hampering investigations and dimming hopes for justice.
Among the examples they provided: Truth Hounds had to lay off staff, suspend an archiving project and defer international-law training for judges and prosecutors.
Dozens of foreign experts who helped collect and analyze battlefield evidence can no longer travel to Ukraine after State reduced support for the country's overburdened prosecutors, according to five sources familiar with the matter.
And plans to rebuild a courthouse destroyed in the war were halted after the Trump administration dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development and terminated a $62-million program to strengthen the Ukrainian justice system, a source familiar with USAID's operations said.
Tracking U.S. Defunding of War-Crimes Accountability
Russia's invasion created huge demand in Ukraine for arrests and trials of those accused of atrocities.
Even when U.S. funding peaked under Biden, the burden overwhelmed Ukrainian prosecutors, who had secured 252 war-crimes convictions as of April 1. In addition, the prosecutor’s office said it had identified 1,175 suspects and indicted 842.
High-ranking suspects could be tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which has sought the arrest of President Vladimir Putin. Cases are also being pursued in U.S. and European courts.
Scope and Scale of U.S. Funding
Reuters tracked more than $283 million in U.S. funding at least substantially earmarked for Ukraine war-crimes initiatives since 2022 through interviews with over two dozen sources and a review of public announcements, government documents and watchdog reports.
The news organization could not establish how much of that money had been disbursed when Trump ordered a pause in foreign-development assistance in January 2025, pending a review, or how much was later reinstated. But programs accounting for at least 40% of the spending were terminated or allowed to expire, Reuters found.
Reuters' tallies are likely undercounts, but they offer the most comprehensive assessment to date of the U.S. defunding of war-crimes accountability in Ukraine.
Challenges in Tracking U.S. Aid
Determining exactly how much aid Washington is providing is difficult because of the number of U.S. agencies and recipients involved. Grants are sometimes shared by multiple organizations, span several years or include money for other priorities. The U.S. also provides expertise and intelligence.
A senior source in Ukraine said Trump's cuts affect about half the country’s U.S.-funded projects promoting war-crimes accountability and rule of law.
The administration has launched one new program. In March, State said it would provide up to $25 million to support the return of
