Warsaw: International donors conference supports Ukraine with 6.5 billion euros
An international donors conference in Warsaw on Thursday (5 May) collecting funds for Ukraine raised around $6.5 billion, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.
The conference, aimed at helping Ukraine deal with the economic and humanitarian fallout of Russia’s invasion, was hosted by Poland and Sweden, in cooperation with the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.
During a news conference at the end of the event, Morawiecki gave higher estimate, saying more than 7 billion euros had been raised. A Polish foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for clarification from Reuters.
The European Commission also pledged 200 million euros in aid for displaced people in Ukraine, it said in a statement.
Countries such as France, Finland, the Czech Republic, Croatia and others pledged millions of euros to support humanitarian and military efforts in Ukraine.
The EU has mobilized €4 billion in financial support for Ukraine since the start of the invasion, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Council President Charles Michel said Ukraine needs significant funding to keep the state running, mentioning the figure of roughly 5 billion euro per month, according to IMF estimates.
“We must do much more to deliver practical support now […] to make sure that nurses, doctors, and teachers can be paid on time and Ukraine can continue to function, he said.
Ukraine has received more than $12 billion in weapons and financial aid since Russia’s invasion on 24 February, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal added in a statement at the end of the event.
