The US government repaid one program and left another that both documents alleging Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
The Trump administration cut funding for Yale University’s Humanitarian Laboratory (HRL).
They also withdrew from a multinational group that aimed to investigate the leaders responsible for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including President Vladimir Putin.
These moves came after Trump spoke with Putin and Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine and plunged into the previous US administration’s approach to being in charge of Russian invasions.
The Humanitarian Laboratory said in a statement that it was notified that “government funding for the war in Ukraine has been halted.”
A 17-member, bipartisan group of parliament pushed back HRL’s funding cuts and said their work was a “critical resource” to maintain evidence of children accused of from Ukraine.
In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Treasury Ministry, MPs said that HRL is “absolutely important” to compile data on the 30,000 children accrued from Ukraine and ensure that they return home.
These aidings have been arose amid “concerns about reducing American leadership in combating these crimes.”
It added that HRL’s work is believed to be the basis for Putin’s indictment by the International Criminal Court against acquiring children in Ukraine.
The US Department of State responded to a letter saying it had not deleted any data collected by the HRL.
On Wednesday, President Trump’s Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt responded to allegations that the US government had cut funds for HRL, saying the White House had nothing to do with them.
She added that Trump spoke about the children he was accused of to Volodymyr Zelensky, and promised to “work closely” with both the Russian and Ukraine sides to ensure that those children are returned to their homes.
However, the United States has also withdrawn from the International Centre for Prosecuting Crimes for Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA).
In a statement, the European Union Judicial Cooperation Agency, the parent organization of the ICPA, confirmed to the BBC that they have been notified by US authorities that they are leaving the program.
The ICPA, according to their website, was created to hold Russian leaders accountable for Ukrainian “attack crimes”, maintain evidence and prepare the case for future trials.
In addition to these, Reuters reported that several US national security agencies have halted work on coordinated efforts to combat Russian cyberattacks and disinformation.
