MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2021) The European Commission has allocated an additional $4 million (3.5 million Euros) of humanitarian aid to support victims of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the press service of the EU Delegation to Ukraine said on Tuesday.
"The European Commission has announced an additional ��3.5 million in humanitarian aid to support vulnerable people affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the humanitarian situation, resulting in even more instability and vulnerability. In 2021, the Commission has allocated ��29 million in humanitarian aid for eastern Ukraine," the EU Delegation to Ukraine said in a press release.
By allocating additional funding, the European Commission is planning to help the most vulnerable categories, including elderly and people with disabilities to meet their basic needs amid threat of conflict and COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, "help them access healthcare and essentials, and prepare for the upcoming winter," Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said as cited in the press release.
Lenarcic stressed the importance of resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, saying that "the EU will support people in eastern Ukraine for as long as needed, but only permanent peace can bring a real solution."
In April 2014, the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics in eastern Ukraine, which declared independence after what they deemed a coup in Kiev in February 2014. According to the latest UN data, about 13,000 people have become victims of the conflict.
The issue of resolving the situation in Donbas is under discussion, among other things, during meetings in the contact group, which since September 2014 has already adopted three documents regulating steps to de-escalate the conflict. However, skirmishes continue even after the ceasefire agreements between the parties to the conflict were concluded.
