ROME, MAY 5 – Addressing the International Donors’ Conference on Ukraine organized by the governments of Poland and Sweden, the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced that Italy has increased its financial support to Ukrainian refugees in the country.
“Italy has already allocated around 500 million euros to support Ukrainian refugees in our country. I am pleased to announce we have just increased that amount to more than 800 million euros. We have transferred 110 million to support the Ukrainian general budget and are planning to lend up to 200 million euros more”, said Draghi. He added that Italy has also given 26 million to international organisations, such as the Red Cross, UNICEF, and the UNHCR: “We are donating humanitarian and medical goods, including ambulances, tents, medicines”.
More than six billion euros were collected from heads of states and governments, representatives of global business and financial institutions, at the conference in Warsaw, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday: “We were able to gather more than six billion euros and this money will be distributed to support Ukraine and all those who support Ukraine,” he told at a news conference.
Speaking in video-conference, Draghi said that the war in Ukraine has caused a humanitarian catastrophe. Millions of people, mostly women and children, have left the country to seek refuge in the European Union. Those who stay face the risk of poverty, hunger and death. “We must help Ukraine: Ukraine deserves all the support we can give and Italy will continue to do its part”, he said in its message. (@OnuItalia)
