U.S. May Slash War Crimes Funding, Including Key Programs for Ukraine

The Trump administration is considering deep cuts to U.S. funding for global war crimes accountability programs — including several crucial initiatives supporting Ukraine’s efforts to prosecute Russian atrocities, The Gaze reports, citing Reuters.

The recommendation, made Wednesday by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has not been previously reported. While it does not represent a final decision, it signals a potential rollback in the U.S. government’s support for international justice, including investigations related to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The OMB proposal would allow U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team to appeal for specific programs to be retained. However, officials say the likelihood that Rubio — who has shown limited interest in such initiatives since taking over as secretary — will push to save many of them is low. One source noted that “Rubio could make a case to keep crucial programs, such as aiding potential war crimes prosecutions in Ukraine.”

Among the programs earmarked for possible termination are key initiatives that operate inside Ukraine. Three sources said these include Global Rights Compliance, which is gathering evidence of sexual violence, torture, and other war crimes across the country, and Legal Action Worldwide, a group assisting Ukrainian prosecutors in building cases against Russian suspects.

Another $18 million program, funded by the State Department and implemented by Georgetown University, supports the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office. Two sources confirmed that this, too, is under threat. Georgetown declined to comment.

The Trump administration’s move comes at a time when Ukraine has opened over 140,000 war crimes cases following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian officials and international human rights advocates say these accountability efforts are essential for delivering justice and deterring further atrocities. Russia continues to deny committing war crimes.

Humanitarian groups warn that cutting these programs could further undermine the international effort to hold Russia accountable. Supporters argue that while they don’t directly affect Ukraine’s military defense, these projects represent “the best chance of extensively documenting reported battlefield atrocities in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two.”

In addition to Ukraine, the list of affected countries includes Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Belarus, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, the Gambia, and Myanmar. Programs in these regions have focused on documenting abuses and supporting local efforts to pursue justice.

As The Gaze previously reported, the United States’ leading initiative tracking Russia’s systematic abduction of Ukrainian children faces shutdown after funding was cut by the Trump administration, raising fears that thousands of children may vanish without trace.