Among the many consequences of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) funding freeze, there is one that directly affects Ukraine's security and defense. While military aid to Kyiv has so far been unaffected by President Donald Trump's January 20 decision, a large part of the country's cybersecurity efforts have been significantly impacted.

Ukrainian authorities downplay concerns over this critical domain, which is essential for both military operations and territorial sovereignty. But in recent weeks, urgent discussions have taken place in search of alternative solutions, notably with European nations. "The Trump administration's decision raises both diplomatic and highly operational questions," said Julien Nocetti, a research fellow at the Institut Français des Relations Internationales (IFRI, the French Institute of International Relations) and a lecturer at Sciences Po University.

For several years now, USAID has been providing significant funding for a broad ecosystem supporting the resilience of Ukraine's telecommunications networks. "Ukraine's resistance to Russia's full-scale invasion is taking place not only on the battlefield but also in cyberspace, as Russia escalates its cyberattacks against critical infrastructure," explained DAI, the primary US contractor overseeing the program for USAID, in a statement on its website – now no longer accessible.

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