The United Kingdom will provide an additional $53 million (£40 million) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion of the country, according to the British Prime Minister’s Office.
The additional assistance was granted following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s discussion with his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelensky, and meetings with Ukrainian community leaders in London over the weekend.
The funding will help “relief agencies respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation, creating a lifeline for Ukrainians with access to basic necessities and medical supplies such as medicines, syringes, dressings and wound care packages,” according to the press release.
During their conversation on Saturday night, Zelensky told Johnson of “the dire need for humanitarian assistance as people are forced to flee their homes and seek safety,” the press release said.
With concerns rising among Ukrainians living in the UK, Johnson said on Sunday that “anyone based in the UK will be able to bring their immediate Ukrainian family members to join them here.”
In the statement, Johnson stressed that the UK “will not turn our backs on Ukraine in a time of need,” adding that this latest package “brings the total amount of aid pledged by the UK government to Ukraine this year to £140 million,” the equivalent of $186 million. .
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added that the funding would help Ukraine “address what has become a humanitarian crisis”.
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