The international fundraising campaign ‘Stand Up For Ukraine’ has raised 9.1 billion euros – money intended for refugees in Ukraine and neighboring countries. The European Commission has announced on Saturday† The Commission had set up the collection together with Canada at the end of March, and is investing 1 billion euros itself.
The amount collected consists of for almost half from donations from countries, companies and private individuals. The rest concerns loans from, among others, the European Investment Bank, the financing arm of the EU. 1.8 billion euros goes to Ukrainians who have fled at home; EUR 7.3 billion is intended for refugees in countries such as Poland, Romania and Moldova. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has promised to provide a loan of another €1 billion in addition to the EUR 9.1 billion.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen expects “even more” money to be raised for Ukrainian refugees in the future. “We will continue to provide support. And once there are no more bombs, we will help the Ukrainians rebuild their country.” Von der Leyen will be in Warsaw on Saturday, where a donor conference in the context of ‘Stand Up For Ukraine’ is taking place. Ultimately, all the promised money must reach the refugees through both the Ukrainian government and aid organizations.
This article is also part of our live blog: British Prime Minister Johnson visits Zelensky in Kiev