The World Bank announced this Monday an additional aid of 4,500 million dollars for Ukrainewith funds provided by the United States, to help the government meet “urgent needs created by the war.”
This additional support will help kyiv pay social, pension or health expenses, key to alleviating the economic impacts of the russian invasionthe bank said in a statement.
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The amount will be delivered in installments to the Ukrainian government, with a first disbursement of 3,000 million dollars in August, according to another statement from the US Treasury Department.
“Ukraine needs continued government services, including health, education and social protection to prevent further deterioration of living conditions and poverty,” World Bank President David Malpass was quoted as saying in the statement.
“We are grateful to the United States and our partners for their continued support … and for the generous grant that will greatly support the people of Ukraine,” he added.
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This new aid brings the World Bank’s emergency financial assistance to Ukraine to nearly $13 billion, of which more than $6.3 billion was disbursed by the end of July.
“This economic aid is essential to support the Ukrainian people as they defend their democracy in the face of the Russian war,” Joe Biden’s Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was quoted as saying in the press release.
military aid
Also on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine for a value of 1,000 million dollars, the largest granted so far.
In a statement, Blinken indicated that the assistance includes weapons, ammunition and other types of military equipment.
The Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Colin Kahl, specified in a press conference at the Pentagon that the package includes ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS, in English), which the US has given in the happened to Ukraine and that they are long-range projectiles.
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They are critical capabilities to help the Ukrainians repel the Russian offensive.
Likewise, the new aid includes 75,000 155-millimeter artillery pieces and 20 120-millimeter mortar systems.
Kahl added that the package includes 20,000 ammunition for air-to-surface missile systems, as well as 1,000 Javelin anti-tank rounds and 50 armored vehicles with medical equipment.
The head of Defense stressed that “these are critical capabilities to help the Ukrainians to repel the Russian offensive in the east” of Ukraine and to face the evolution of the situation in the south of the country.
With this amount, the US has allocated 9.8 billion dollars in military aid to Ukraine since President Joe Biden arrived at the White House in January 2021, of which 9.1 billion dollars have been since the start of the war in Ukraine in February this year.
UN asks for more funds
While these announcements were taking place, the UN on Monday raised its request for funds for humanitarian aid in Ukraine this year to 4.3 billion dollars, some 2 billion more than what it had asked donors for last April.
According to the organization, this increase responds to the worsening of the situation in the country and the prospect of a very difficult winter due to the destruction of homes and the lack of access to gas and electricity in many places as a result of damage to infrastructure.
In total, the United Nations estimates that at least 17.7 million people – more than a quarter of Ukraine’s population – will need humanitarian aid in the coming months.
This is 2 million more people than previously expected and, according to the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country, Denise Brown, the situation could worsen when the cold arrives.
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“We fear it will be even worse during the winter as more people are likely to move from areas where they don’t have access to gas, fuel or electricity to heat their homes,” Brown said in a statement.
In addition, the United Nations once again demanded safe and unhindered access for humanitarian workers from the parties to the conflict.
“Since the beginning of the war, access has been extremely difficult in areas outside the control of the Government of Ukraine,” said Brown, who recalled that the parties, according to international humanitarian law, have an obligation to ensure that support can be given to all civilians in need.
*With information from AFP and EFE
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