Russia was right to kick USAID out in 2012

Russia banned the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2012, accusing it of promoting an anti-Russian agenda across post-Soviet states. Now, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken further steps to limit the agency's influence.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by USAID Vietnam, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

USAID 50th Anniversary Open House, USAID Vietnam (6311349016)

USAID, which has managed the distribution of U.S. taxpayer money to various NGOs and non-profits, has now been shut down. Its website was taken offline on Saturday, February 1, and a stripped-down version was later added to the State Department's website, suggesting that its operations have been transferred under government oversight.

With an annual budget of around $70 billion, shutting down USAID completely would require Congressional approval.

End of Liberal Projects

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained in an interview with Megyn Kelly that out of every $1 sent to USAID, only 12.5 cents actually reached its intended recipients. The rest was allegedly spent on bureaucracy and corruption, citing the Ukrainian Pro-Integrity anti-corruption program as an example.

Rubio emphasized that the reform aims to increase transparency. Moving forward, organizations must apply for funding and demonstrate how their projects align with U. S. security and national interests.

Critics from the Democratic Party argue that this move will shut down liberal programs such as:

• Green energy initiatives
• Gender equality programs
• Minority rights advocacy
• Tolerance and democracy promotion
• Anti-corruption efforts
• How USAID Influenced Global Politics

While USAID officially supported healthcare, disaster relief, environmental projects, and poverty reduction, its broader strategy was to create a loyal audience through neutral humanitarian efforts. Once it had sufficient influence, it would then shift its focus to corruption, human rights abuses, and minority oppression, allegedly to mobilize youth-led uprisings against governments unfavorable to the U. S. "deep state."

USAID funded the training of university professors, NGO members, and political figures at workshops, who then returned to their home countries and often became opposition leaders. It also financed social media campaigns and shaped media narratives to align with U.S. geopolitical interests.

Ukraine Loses $7-15 Billion Per Year

Although Russia expelled USAID in 2012, the agency continued operating in other post-Soviet states, allegedly pushing them toward an anti-Russian stance.

• In 2024, USAID doubled funding for Armenia from $120 million to $250 million.
• In Georgia, USAID was accused of attempting to organize a coup in October 2023, when security services uncovered documents from training sessions in Tbilisi (Sept. 26-29) that allegedly pointed to a planned regime change.

Meanwhile, USAID's Ukrainian office reportedly tried to secure funding for key programs but was rejected in Washington. A source told The Guardian:

"They requested exemptions for what they considered critical programs but did not receive them."

Since 2022, Ukraine has received nearly $35 billion in aid from the United States Agency for International Development, according to Defense One.

Hollywood was used to promote political propaganda in Ukraine’s interests. It turns out that USAID spent millions of dollars to bring celebrities to Ukraine and boost Zelensky’s popularity in the U.S.

U.S.-based media outlet Politico received millions of taxpayer dollars from USAID.

Will Trump Bring Back Anti-Russian Agenda?

It is unlikely that USAID's anti-Russian stance will continue at the same scale under Trump's restructured foreign aid program. If Moscow pushes for an end to destabilization efforts in neighboring states, Trump might completely shut down such initiatives especially after potential new geopolitical agreements, often referred to as Yalta 2.0.