The international support conference for Ukraine in the French capital Paris has resulted in nearly a billion euros in donations to help the Ukrainian people get through the winter.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced this. "With this aid, we are having a direct impact on the lives of millions of people," the French minister said.
The emergency aid includes generators, transformers, construction equipment and fire trucks. "The aid reaches or even exceeds €800 million," Colonna said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself had asked for this amount at the start of the conference.
"In fact, I am happy to announce to you that we are above that figure and we are getting closer to a billion euros," the French minister said, at a press conference together with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Of that amount, €415 million will go to the energy sector, €25 million is for the water supply, €38 million to food, €17 million for the health sector and €22 million for the transport sector. The remaining €493 million has no concrete destination yet, the minister said.
"Our country will not be plunged into darkness," the Ukrainian Prime Minister said. He welcomed the “strong signal” of support to Ukraine from its partners.
"We are grateful to all countries that remain our allies in these dark times," he also said. Seventy delegations from countries and international organisations participated in the conference.
The aim of the conference was to help Ukrainians through the winter, particularly since Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s civilian and energy infrastructure since October. As a result, millions of people are without heating and water.
