Vice President Kamala Harris promised another $1.5 billion in direct U.S. aid for Ukraine on Saturday at a peace summit in Switzerland.
The funds will be made available through the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
That includes money for energy assistance, repairing damaged energy infrastructure, helping refugees and strengthening civilian security in the wake of the aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin, AP reports.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at the Ukraine peace summit in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Switzerland is hosting scores of world leaders this weekend to try to map out the first steps toward peace in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Harris used a a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to set out the reasons behind the latest funding bequest courtesy of U.S. taxpayers:
This war remains an utter failure for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.
I am here in Switzerland to stand with Ukraine and the leaders from around the world in support of a just and lasting peace,” she added. “As we look forward to that peace and work toward that, the United States is committed to helping Ukraine rebuild.
The new aid total is broken down into $500 million in funding to go toward energy assistance, the White House said in its press release, as Russian strikes have continuously targeted Ukraine’s energy sector.
The effort will also direct $324 million of the previously announced funds to helping the nation repair its energy infrastructure.
More than $379 million will go to humanitarian assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department to “address urgent needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict affected communities impacted by Russia’s brutal war against the Ukrainian people,” per the release.
The funding comes just days after President Joe Biden signed an agreement tying the U.S. to a decade-long “security” pact with Ukraine.
Done Deal: Biden Locks in 10-Year U.S. Bilateral ‘Security’ Pact with Ukraine https://t.co/rAvyZj7Sd2
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 14, 2024
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States has sent more than $3.2 billion in humanitarian aid and nearly $1.5 billion to help Ukraine’s energy sector, the White House said.
Biden was in Los Angeles after three days at the Group of Seven summit in Italy, where he held talks with Zelensky.
He flew from Europe to California for a star studded Saturday night fundraiser with Hollywood A-listers George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
Harris was sent in his place to the meeting in Switzerland, as Breitbart News reported.
