Following Ukraine’s independence and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine began a period of transition toward a market economy and participatory democracy. In 1992, USAID and Ukraine signed a bilateral agreement on humanitarian, economic and technical cooperation to help the country develop its economic, political and societal potential. USAID and the Ukrainian government identified three strategic objectives: to create a broad-based market economy; to help build a participatory democratic political system; and to assist in social sector reforms to ease the difficulties of transition, particularly among the most vulnerable members of society. Thus began a 30-year partnership that has endured, animated by the belief that by working together we can forge a secure and prosperous future for all Ukrainians.
Since Russia’s brutal invasion on February 24, 2022, USAID has responded to address some of Ukraine’s most pressing needs. USAID assistance has helped ensure Ukrainians have reliable heat and electricity despite Russia’s attacks on energy systems, enable farmers and food exporters to continue providing grain to people all over the world, and partners with Ukraine to build a health system that is transparent, efficient, and responsive to the needs of the Ukrainian people. USAID is committed to helping Ukraine win the war and win the future by advancing as a sovereign, independent, democratic, and prosperous society free to choose its path.
USAID focuses on ensuring that Ukraine is more secure from the existential threats of corruption and Russia's aggression, and that its capacity and commitment to self-reliance is advanced through transformational sector reforms. Ukrainians see their country on a new path towards a European, self-reliant future. They demand an independent Ukraine not solely reliant on any single external actor; a democratic, accountable, and transparent government; a prosperous nation that invests in and mobilizes its rich human capital and private sector; and Ukrainians that are healthy, not held back from their innate potential. The core European values they demand refer not only to the European Union (EU) normative framework, but a broader recognition of the values of democracy, human rights, diversity, and inclusion. Lastly, a united Ukraine foresees that these opportunities, systems, and values are shared by all its citizens in their rich diversity and that Ukraine is territorially whole.
USAID’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) is based on the foundational demand expressed by Ukrainians during the Revolution of Dignity that they should live in an independent, democratic, prosperous, and healthy Ukraine united around core European values. Ukraine’s commitment and capacity to progress towards self-reliance is hampered by an ongoing two-front war—against Russia’s full-scale aggression on the one hand, and against its internal legacy of corruption on the other—with deep consequences for regional stability, the future of Europe, and the United States, for whom a strong and free Europe is a cornerstone national security goal.
