Countries Pledge Over $1 Billion in New Aid for Ukraine

The aid includes about $440 million for Ukraine's energy infrastructure

A group of about 70 countries on Tuesday pledged over $1 billion in new aid for Ukraine at a donor conference in Paris, including about $440 million to help repair the country’s energy infrastructure.

According to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, the remaining over $500 million in new funds for Ukraine will go toward the country’s water, transportation, health, and food sectors.

The pledge came after Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said Ukraine would need $1 billion just to repair Ukraine’s power grid, and heating systems as Russian missile and drone strikes have decimated the country’s energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the donor conference via video link and put the price tag for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure a little lower than Shmyhal did, saying the country needed about $850 million for energy repairs.

But even if Ukraine secures additional funding for its energy infrastructure, it’s unlikely sufficient repairs could be made quickly enough. Shmyhal said half of Ukraine’s infrastructure facilities have been damaged, and the Russian strikes will likely persist as Ukraine is stepping up attacks inside Russian territory, reportedly with support from the US, which risks major escalation.

Ukrainian civilians are facing a dire situation as they are without power and heat, and there is no end to the fighting in sight. Zelensky maintains Russia must withdraw from all the territory it has captured for any peace talks to happen, but the position is a non-starter for Moscow.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.