EU allocates funds for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, Moldova amid ongoing conflict

The European Commission (EC) announced on January 13 that a new funding package of 148 million euros will provide life-saving support and ensure essential aid reaches Ukraine's most vulnerable populations.

“As Russia’s war of aggression continues to devastate Ukraine, approximately 12.7 million people are in need of urgent assistance,” the EC stated, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

This new funding will sustain crucial humanitarian aid efforts in both Ukraine and Moldova, bringing the total humanitarian aid allocated by the European Commission to over 1.1 billion euros. Of the new funding, 140 million euros will be directed towards humanitarian projects in Ukraine. These funds will be used for emergency assistance, including food, shelter, clean water, healthcare, and winter protection. Key priorities will focus on aiding vulnerable populations in the heavily war-impacted regions of eastern and southern Ukraine.

A total of eight million euros has been allocated for humanitarian projects in Moldova. This support will focus on assisting Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan host communities, with an emphasis on cash assistance, access to essential services like healthcare and education, and providing psychosocial support. On January 13, European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management, and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, is visiting Ukraine to reinforce the EU's ongoing humanitarian efforts.

During her visit, Lahbib is expected to meet with key Ukrainian leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, and senior officials to discuss urgent humanitarian issues and the strategic distribution of EU aid. She will also engage with beneficiaries of EU assistance and local partners. Since the start of Russia's aggression, the EU has been coordinating its largest-ever operation under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, delivering over 150,000 tons of in-kind aid to Ukraine, according to the EC. 

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said earlier that the EU and its member states already committed substantial 124 billion euros in aid to Ukraine, including significant military assistance. Addressing a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Reynders emphasized that the EU and its member states have provided Ukraine with "all possible weapons from their stockpiles," including advanced F-16 fighter jets. However, he acknowledged that despite these efforts, the current level of support has proven insufficient to alter the situation on the battlefield. He called on EU member states to urgently ramp up their aid to Ukraine.

By Naila Huseynova