UK to send more money to support Ukraine’s ‘indomitable people’

Newly promised aid will be used to tackle the deteriorating humanitarian situation

Refugees from Ukraine rest inside an arrival centre set up in Chisinau, Moldova, on March 5. AP

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The UK government is set to donate another £74 million ($97.7m) to Ukraine to support its “indomitable people” through the humanitarian crisis brought on by Russian attacks.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to begin a week of “focused engagement” with world leaders on Monday, as he tries to get support for his six-point plan to tackle Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The prime ministers of Canada and the Netherlands will visit London and accompany Mr Johnson to an RAF base to meet members of the UK armed forces.

The three leaders will have separate meetings and a joint meeting, where it is expected the British leader will continue to press for sustained support for Ukraine.

The three will then hold a public briefing at Downing Street.

The £74m aid, provided through the World Bank, could go towards public sector salaries, allowing crucial state functions to keep operating, or supporting social safety nets and pensions for the Ukrainian people.

“In the time since Russia’s illegal and brutal assault, we have seen the world stand up tall in solidarity with the indomitable people of Ukraine," Mr Johnson said.

“UK aid is already reaching those who need it most, delivering essential supplies and medical support.

“While only Putin can fully end the suffering in Ukraine, today’s new funding will continue to help those facing the deteriorating humanitarian situation.”

More than £100m has been raised to provide aid for Ukraine in an “amazing show of support” from the UK public.

That is the equivalent of more than £1m an hour since the appeal was launched, the Disasters Emergency Committee said.

It said the funds are already being used by DEC charities inside Ukraine and at its borders to provide people fleeing the war with food, water, medical assistance, protection and trauma care.

The committee said the message from aid workers was that money was needed rather than specific donated items, which were often not what people needed and were difficult to transport.

More donations will help to increase the work of the charities, which include Save the Children, Age International and the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development.

The DEC, which is made up of 15 leading UK aid charities, said “generous donations” have been made by the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, among others.

The latest total includes £25m in match-funding from the UK government, the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through the British aid match scheme.