Stiller refuted claims that the world’s largest humanitarian aid agencies, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), used public funds to finance his visit to Kyiv in June 2022, during which he met with President Zelensky and others affected by the ongoing war with Russia.
The false claims emerged after Elon Musk announced on his social media platform X that he planned to shut down USAID, calling it a “criminal enterprise.”
Around the same time, a viral post featuring a fake E! News video spread misinformation that U.S. taxpayers had funded celebrity visits to war-torn Ukraine, alleging that Ben Stiller’s trip cost $4 million, Sean Penn’s $5 million, and Angelina Jolie’s $20 million.
In response, Stiller firmly denied the claims, writing on X, “These are lies coming from Russian media. I completely self-funded my humanitarian trip to Ukraine.”
Ben Stiller further clarified, “There was no funding from USAID and certainly no payment of any kind. 100 percent false.” Sean Penn and Angelina Jolie have not yet responded to these allegations.
USAID, established in 1961, is the largest government-funded aid agency in the world, operating in over 100 countries with an annual budget of over $50 billion - about 0.7% of the federal budget.
Recently, its operations in Ukraine and Moldova were halted due to a suspension of most U.S. foreign aid, but after protests from humanitarian groups, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, now acting head of USAID, exempted critical programs, including AIDS medication distribution.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy greets Hollywood actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller in Kyiv on June 20, 2022. During their meeting, Stiller called Zelenskyy his hero and praised Ukrainians for their resilience. The visit was part of Stiller’s efforts to raise awareness of the refugee crisis caused by Russia’s invasion. Archive photo: UPI/PAP/Newscom
Source: PAP/X/@BenStiller/@Independent
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