This week, the department terminated a U.S. Agency for International Development initiative that had been investing millions into Ukraine’s energy grid to defend it from attacks by the Russian military. Throughout Russia’s now-three-year war in Ukraine, Ukrainian energy systems have sustained near-constant attacks. “It significantly undercuts this administration’s abilities to negotiate on the ceasefire, and it’d signal to Russia that we don’t care about Ukraine or our past investments,” one USAID official involved in the Ukraine mission told NBC News. “Russia is fighting a two-pronged war in Ukraine: A military one but also an economic one. They’re trying to crush the economy, but USAID has played a central role in helping it be resilient, [including] shoring up the energy grid. … We’ve provided vast amount of support to the Ukrainian government to avoid a macroeconomic crisis,” the official added. The official told the outlet that USAID, which was recently placed under the management of the State Department, withdrawing support to Ukraine would leave the country’s energy grid vulnerable as it endures assaults from further Russian missiles. Some areas of Ukraine have seen power outages throughout the night due to attacks on energy facilities. Around 20% of Ukraine is currently occupied by Russian forces. The news broke as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was berated in the White House by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Trump in recent days has seemingly turned on Ukraine and Zelensky, calling him a dictator and falsely claiming Ukraine started the war. Trump is attempting now to follow through on his campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine on his first day in office, now one month into his presidency. He is looking to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the fighting in Ukraine in a significant American foreign policy shift. Top Trump administration officials met Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia earlier this month to discuss ending the war and did not invite Ukraine to the negotiation table. After a heated back and forth Friday in the Oval Office, which Trump said would make “great television,” Zelensky was kicked out of the White House, and the two sides did not end up finalizing agreements. Russian officials, meanwhile, celebrated the confrontation.