Reset: Putin purges USAID from Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin pushed the reset button on his decision to allow the U.S. Agency for International Development to assist pro-democracy organizations in his country.

“The United States recently received the Russian Government’s decision to end USAID activities in the Russian Federation,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. “While USAID’s physical presence in Russia will come to an end, we remain committed to supporting democracy, human rights, and the development of a more robust civil society in Russia and look forward to continuing our cooperation with Russian non-governmental organizations.”