The United Nations, the World Bank and the United States have increased their life support assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. On Monday, the United Nations requested $4.3 billion in aid to Ukraine between March and the end of the year. During a press conference, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres estimated that “financial needs have risen from 2.25 billion (estimated in April, editor’s note) to 4.3 billion”.
This aid must be based on a call for donations from member states for a period from March to the end of the year “due to the worsening of the situation” and according to UN officials this winter. “More than a quarter of Ukraine’s population, 17.7 million men, women and children, will need humanitarian assistance in the coming months, about 2 million more than estimated in April,” he reminded.
The United Nations Center for Humanitarian Affairs notes that about 11.7 million people in Ukraine received humanitarian assistance at least once between late February and late July. Above all, “needs continue to grow (…). Millions of people across the country have suffered months of intense hostilities without adequate access to food, water, health care, education and other basic services. The UN welcomes the fact that $2.38 billion has already been raised.
Add to that $4.5 billion for Ukraine from the World Bank to meet “urgent war-related needs.” The Washington-based body has already granted countries $13 billion since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
Washington maintains arms shipments
At the same time, the Pentagon unveiled a new $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine on Monday. Specifically, that payment must allow for the purchase of additional missiles for America’s Himar precision artillery systems, additional short- and medium-range missiles for Nasam’s air defense systems and Javelin anti-tank missiles, the US Department of Defense said in a statement. This means the imminent arrival of 75,000 155mm shells destined for the Western artillery systems that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have equipped since the beginning of the conflict.
This is part of a broader context in which Washington intends to provide “critical capabilities to help Ukrainians repel the Russian offensive in the east and adapt to ongoing developments in the south and elsewhere,” according to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs Colin Kahl , without specifying how many precision missiles for the Himars were included in this new tranche of aid to Kyiv.
In total, these sums and material assistance from the United States add up to $9.8 billion in US military aid to Ukraine since President Biden came to power and $9.1 billion since the beginning of the war. Add to that $4.5 billion for Ukraine from the World Bank to meet “urgent war needs,” which have already granted the countries $13 billion since the war began. Russian invasion on February 24th.
(With AFP)