Vice President Kamala Harris announced a $1.5 billion aid package for Ukraine in its war against Russia at Saturday’s Peace Summit in Switzerland.
“This war continues to be a total failure for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin”, Harris, he said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I am here in Switzerland to support Ukraine and leaders around the world in supporting a just and lasting peace,” he added. “As we long for that peace and work toward it, the United States is committed to helping Ukraine rebuild.”
Of the total new aid, $500 million of the funding will go toward energy assistance, the White House said in its report. Press release, as Russian attacks have continually targeted Ukraine’s energy sector. The effort will also direct $324 million of previously announced funds to help the country repair its energy infrastructure.
More than $379 million will go toward humanitarian assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department to “address the urgent needs of refugees, internally displaced people, and conflict-affected communities impacted by Russia’s brutal war on the people Ukrainian,” according to the statement. .
Humanitarian assistance will include food assistance, health services, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services. It will also include psychological support services and other forms of assistance so families can restore income and meet basic needs, the White House said.
Zelensky thanked Harris for her participation in the summit and called the US partnership “vital” to “help bring peace closer.”
The aid will also go toward work with the State Department to help with security, giving Ukrainian border guards and law enforcement support to continue their work “on the front lines of the war to defend Ukraine’s territory.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States has sent more than $3.2 billion in humanitarian aid and nearly $1.5 billion to help Ukraine’s energy sector, the White House said.
The ad follows a date between Harris and Zelensky at the summit where the vice president highlighted the United States’ “unwavering support” for Ukraine, despite some setbacks from Congress in delivering aid earlier this year.
On Friday, Ukraine rejected a Russian ceasefire proposal that would have required Zelensky to hand over some land to Moscow and abandon his goal of NATO membership.
Ukrainian authorities described the plan, proposed by Putin on the eve of the summit, as “absurd”. They argued that the Russian leader had no real plans for peace, but only wanted to “increase aggression in Europe”.
The peace summit, held at the Bürgenstock Resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, does not include Russia. Ukraine demanded that it did not want Russia involved in the conference and the Swiss agreed. However, they said that Russia must be involved at some point for peace to be truly achieved.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
