Trump admin temporarily restores funding to initiative tracking Russian war crimes
The Trump administration has temporarily restored funding to an initiative that tracks alleged Russian war crimes after cutting its assistance, according to a congressional source familiar with the matter.
Funding for the Ukraine Conflict Observatory has been restored for six weeks, the source told CNN. This will allow the repository of evidence on the alleged Russian war crimes, including the locations of more than 30,000 abducted Ukrainian children, to be sent to the European Union's law enforcement agency, Europol.
CNN reported last week the funding had been terminated and that researchers had lost access to the major database of evidence. The State Department said last week it had cut funding to the program 'based on the assessments that we've been making …what was in America's interests.'
The temporary policy reversal, first reported by the Washington Post, comes after congressional concern about the administration's decision to end funding to the initiative. The contract supporting the Ukraine Conflict Observatory was among thousands of foreign aid awards that the administration has terminated. Critics have argued that terminations have been done with no clear criteria and little regard for the consequences.
'Funding is being provided for a short period while the Conflict Observatory implementers ensure the proper transfer of the critical data on the children to the appropriate authorities,' a State Department spokesperson said in statement Thursday. 'It is part of the standard close out procedures for terminated programs.'
MITRE, a non-profit organization involved in the Ukraine Conflict Observatory, said in a statement Thursday that they, 'the Department of State, and related partners have initiated a plan that enables the data to be moved from the contract partner to the U.S. government.'
'While MITRE continues to work in the public interest and remains focused on our federal sponsors' most critical missions, our efforts related to this important topic will conclude once the data is with the U.S. government,' the statement said.
The evidence collected by the Ukraine Conflict Observatory had been used in efforts to prosecute Russian officials for their alleged involvement in war crimes, including the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to a letter from House lawmakers last week, Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) – which had been conducting research for the Ukraine Conflict Observatory – 'compiled three reports, sourced from satellite imagery and biometric data, tracking identities and locations of over 30,000 children from Ukraine at dozens of locations.'
'This data is absolutely crucial to Ukraine's efforts to return their children home,' the lawmakers said in the letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The importance of returning 'the forcibly transferred Ukrainian children' was a key topic in the meeting between top US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah earlier this month, according to a joint statement after the meeting.
In a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, President Donald Trump asked 'about the children who had gone missing from Ukraine during the war, including the ones that had been abducted,' according to a statement about the call. 'President Trump promised to work closely with both parties to help make sure those children were returned home.'
Last week's letter, led by Ohio Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman, noted that the evidence was being preserved 'to be shared with Europol and the government of Ukraine to secure their return.'
'Yale HRL's funding has been terminated, and the status of the secure evidence repository is unknown. This vital resource cannot be lost,' it said.
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