War-ravaged Ukraine received pledges for USD 6.5 billion more in humanitarian aid on Thursday at an international donor's conference in Warsaw that sought to get Ukrainians urgent help while still planning for the country's post-war reconstruction.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a co-host of the conference, announced that USD 6.5 billion was raised in donations, eliciting applause from leaders and other officials attending the one-day meeting, including representatives from the United Nations and companies such as Google.
The pledges came from countries and businesses, many of whom attended the conference at Warsaw's National Stadium in person and others who made their pledges remotely.
His co-host, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, said the sum exceeded their expectations.
Much of the world has responded to the war in Ukraine with an outpouring of humanitarian support. But as the war drags on, the humanitarian needs in Ukraine have grown even more acute. In addition to thousands of killed in the war millions of people have been displaced. Morawiecki said Ukraine needs over 12,000 tons of humanitarian aid every day, but that only 3,000 tons are getting through. He said the conference shows that the world is not indifferent to Russia's “genocidal war”.
Andersson said the aim was to help Ukraine both now and later.