Donors including the Canadian government and the European Commission on Saturday pledged a combined €9.1 billion ( euros) in donations, loans and grants to support refugees fleeing the war following Russia’s invasion.
The fundraising event in Warsaw, Poland, yielded €1.8 billion to support internally displaced people inside Ukraine, and €7.3 billion for refugees who have fled the country to neighbouring states.
Governments, companies and individuals together pledged 4.1 billion euros in donations, which will be distributed largely via the Ukrainian authorities or the United Nations.
The remaining €5 billion were loans and grants from European Union (EU) financial institutions – including a €4 billion program to help provide housing, education and healthcare for refugees arriving in EU countries.
“I can only announce today for the European Commission that we want to pledge one billion euros, 600 million of those will go to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian authorities and partially to the United Nation … and 400 million euros will go to the frontline states that are doing such an outstanding job and helping the refugees that are coming,”
said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who visited Kyiv on Friday and co-hosted the event with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“As the humanitarian crisis deepens and needs continue to grow, our collective response must keep pace,” Trudeau said via video link.
More than 4 million people have now fled Ukraine to seek shelter in EU countries, while 6.5 million people have fled their homes but remain inside Ukraine, the European Commission said.
