The Biden administration announced on Thursday that the U.S. will provide more than $1 billion in new funding for humanitarian aid for those suffering due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The money will be used to “provide food, shelter, clean water, medical supplies and other forms of assistance” to victims of the aggression, the White House said in a statement.
The U.S. will also accept as many as 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian attack, the White House said. And the U.S. will provide $320 million to promote democracy and human rights in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Officials estimate that about 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war, and that 10 million have been displaced.
More broadly, the White House said that the U.S. will provide $11 billion over the next five years to support food security and combat malnutrition around the world in response to disruptions created by the war, which involves two major global food suppliers whose output could be reduced significantly.
Increasing pressure on Russia: In remarks delivered in Brussels following meetings with NATO and G-7 leaders, President Joe Biden expressed support for expelling Russia from the G-20 group of industrialized nations. If those nations do not agree to do so, Biden said that Ukraine should be invited to the next G-20 meetings.
Biden also highlighted the military aid provided to Ukraine so far. “The United States is committed to provide over $2 billion in military equipment to Ukraine since I became president. Anti-air systems, anti-armor systems, ammunition and our weapons are flowing into Ukraine as I speak,” he said.
And Biden expressed confidence that the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies would ultimately be effective. “The maintenance of sanctions — the maintenance of sanctions, the increasing the pain and the demonstration of why I asked for this NATO meeting today is to be sure that after a month, we will sustain what we're doing, not just next month, the following month, but for the remainder of this entire year. That's what will stop him,” Biden told reporters.
Ukraine asks for more: Although he said he was grateful for the aid already provided to his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for more military assistance Thursday. “One percent of all your planes, 1% of all your tanks,” Zelensky said in a video conference with NATO leaders. “We can’t just buy those. When we will have all this, it will give us, just like you, 100% security.”
But Western leaders made it clear that they are trying to avoid getting directly involved in the conflict, for fear of sparking a wider war. “We are determined to do all we can to support Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. “At the same time, we have a responsibility to prevent this conflict from becoming a full-fledged war in Europe, involving not only Ukraine and Russia, but NATO allies and Russia. That will be more dangerous and more devastating.”
