Donald Trump's administration has cut funding for programs that helped Ukraine investigate Russian war crimes. These initiatives involve documenting attacks on civilians, torture, sexual violence, the deportation of children, and other crimes committed since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
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According to the agency, dozens of foreign experts who previously helped collect and analyze evidence at combat sites can no longer travel to Ukraine. This significantly complicates the work of documenting crimes.
Reuters interviewed more than 40 law enforcement officials, lawyers, human rights activists, and researchers involved in the relevant programs. Almost all of them confirmed that the funding cuts have already negatively impacted their activities.
According to the agency's estimates, since 2022, the US has directed more than $283 million toward initiatives related to documenting war crimes in Ukraine. At the same time, at least 40% of these programs have been closed or completed without continued funding.
Former US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack warned that the reduction in aid could lead to some victims being denied access to justice.
At the same time, in March, the US administration announced a new $25 million program to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children; however, this was preceded by the cutting of several other projects, including a Yale University initiative that tracked abducted children.
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