Russia welcomes USAID cuts, calls body 'machine for interfering'

The Russian Foreign Ministry welcomed on Thursday the new US administration's decision to shutter USAID as an independent agency, calling the humanitarian body a "machine for interfering" in global affairs. US President Donald Trump's close advisor Elon Musk announced Monday that the giant humanitarian agency would be "shutting down". 

USAID said Tuesday it was placing its staff in the United States and around the world on administrative leave, with the US State Department taking over USAID's functions. The aid arm of US foreign policy, USAID funded health and emergency programs as well as democracy promotion initiatives in around 120 countries, including the world's poorest regions.