EU Foreign Affairs Ministers agreed, on Monday 21 March, to continue and intensify humanitarian aid to Ukraine and neighbouring countries - in particular Moldova, whose Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu was invited to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine (see EUROPE 12914/7).
“We will continue to support Ukraine economically and financially, including with humanitarian aid”, said the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell. He paid tribute to “the solidarity and great generosity” shown by Moldova, “one of the countries most directly affected” by the influx of refugees.
More than €500 million of humanitarian aid from the EU budget are planned for Ukraine and Moldova (see EUROPE 12902/5).
Pointing out that a third of the children in Moldova are Ukrainian refugees, he said that the Moldovan education system is under pressure as these refugees are now attending school.
Of the 360,000 refugees who fled Ukraine to Moldova, “most of them went on to the EU, but Moldova now hosts 100,000, which is 4% of our population. (...) This has a big impact on the socio-economic situation”, Mr Popescu told the press.
Romanian Minister Bogdan Aurescu, whose country welcomed more than 526,000 Ukrainians on Sunday, assured that Romania was “doing its utmost to provide all possible facilities, including green lanes to facilitate the passage into Romania of Ukrainian citizens who are on the border with Moldova”.
The German minister called on the EU and the international community to share out over 3.2 million refugees. “We need not only humanitarian corridors, but a humanitarian airlift and distribution of refugees”, said Annalena Baerbock, warning that “8 million more will arrive”.
In a telephone conversation on Monday, European Council President Charles Michel assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the EU’s continued humanitarian support.
During an audio conference, the leaders of Germany, the US, France, Italy and the UK reiterated the urgency of securing unimpeded humanitarian access to Mariupol.
War leads to famine
At the opening of the European Humanitarian Forum, organised by the French Presidency of the EU Council and the European Commission, French Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Mr Borrell warned against the risk of famine. “It is not sanctions that lead to serious dysfunctions in global food security. It is war”, they said.
“Humanitarian needs have never been higher. The funding available globally already covers less than 50% of the needs”, said the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)