1 of 3 | A new international aide package for Ukraine was announced during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels Wednesday. Photo courtesy of
NATO
Feb. 15 (UPI) -- NATO countries announced more than $624 million to support Ukraine's effort to defend against the Russian invasion Wednesday, while the United Nations called for $5.6 billion in aid packages to support food, healthcare and other assistance to those affected by the war.
The U.N. effort includes $3.9 billion for the Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine and $1.7 billion for the Refugee Response Plan, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and U.N. Refugee Agency said in a joint statement Wednesday.
The funding would provide healthcare, food and other assistance to 11.1 million people through more than 650 partners in the Humanitarian Response Plan. The Refugee Response Plan supports refugees and communities in 10 refugee host countries -- Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
"Almost a year on, the war continues to cause death, destruction and displacement daily, and on a staggering scale," Martin Griffiths, U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement.
"We will continue to prioritize assistance to people who need it most and to support local authorities and civil society organizations, whose dedication has been inspiring."
Separately, a new international aid package was announced during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels Wednesday.
"I welcome the new pledges of support made by NATO allies, including more heavy weapons and military training," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the gathering. "This is critical. Ukraine has a window of opportunity to tip the balance. And time is of the essence."
"Allies agree on the need to work hand-in-hand with the defense industry to ramp up our industrial capacity," Stoltenberg continued.
The package includes tank spares, uncrewed air systems, electronic warfare and air defense from the International Fund for Ukraine agreed to by the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway Sweden and Denmark. Iceland and Lithuania also have contributed to the fund.
"This equipment package will provide a significant capability boost for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and will support their ability to defend their country," British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace said in a statement.
