Swiss government asks parliament to approve new humanitarian aid to Ukraine

The Swiss government is seeking parliamentary approval to send 140 million francs (£125 million) in further humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Moldova, the government has said.

Switzerland has already allocated 1.3 billion francs to support Ukraine, including 270 million francs to help people in the country and 1.03 billion francs to support Ukrainians who have fled to Switzerland,  The Guardian reports.

The government said continued support was needed to improve the “precarious situation” of the people in Ukraine, where 40 per cent of the population was reliant on aid.

Foreign minister Ignazio Cassis, speaking at a news conference, said: "In a humanitarian way, diplomatically, and with reconstruction in mind, we can support Ukraine".

Most of the money - 114 million francs - is earmarked for Ukraine, with 26m francs for Moldova. The aid envisaged includes shelters for schools, repairs to hospitals and energy infrastructure, or small loans to small agricultural businesses. Removal of mines and psychological and social support for the population are also among the projects which could be supported.