US aid decisions for Pacific postponed until April

The United States will not decide on aid funding for the Pacific region until mid-April, according to New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters. He discussed aid programs with US officials during recent meetings. Peters emphasized the importance of existing aid funding and the need for a detailed future program. He noted that discussions were productive, but specifics will be shared with New Zealand's government first. Peters is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio next week. He expressed optimism about future relations between New Zealand and the US, but did not provide guarantees.