Today, Administrator Samantha Power arrived in Kyiv to reaffirm the United States' support for Ukraine. This is Administrator Power's third visit since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Administrator Power began her trip by visiting an elementary school in Kyiv, where she joined Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi to hand over the first batch of the 3.2 million USAID-funded hardcover textbooks, produced by Ukrainian printing houses. The Administrator heard from the school principal and teachers about their efforts to continue classwork despite frequent disruptions from air raids that require students and teachers to remain in underground bunkers for hours.
During a press conference, the Administrator also announced that the United States, through USAID and the U.S. Department of State, is providing $237 million in additional humanitarian funding to support the most vulnerable conflict-affected populations in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in the region. In addition, she announced that the United States, through USAID, is initially contributing $13 million to "Rehab4U", a five-year initiative to strengthen the capacity of physical rehabilitation systems, increase access to services and assistive technology, and promote inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in their communities and Ukraine's recovery.
The Administrator then held a roundtable with independent journalists and anti-corruption champions to discuss next steps to implement key anti-corruption and transparency reforms.
Administrator Power met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where they discussed the continuing impacts of Putin's war on the people of Ukraine as well as Ukraine's economic recovery, energy security, and the importance of ongoing reforms for security and future prosperity. The Administrator reiterated the United State's steadfast support for Ukraine.
The Administrator then met with Prime Minister Shmyal, where the importance of support to SMEs, protecting the energy infrastructure, and restoration of potable water to frontline communities were discussed.
