Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz announced the allocation of humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the amount of $400 million, the official SPA news agency reported on Saturday following his phone talk with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky the day before.
The Crown Prince emphasized “the Kingdom’s position of supporting everything that will contribute to de-escalation, and the Kingdom’s readiness to continue the efforts of mediation,” SPA reported.
In turn, Zelensky congratulated the crown prince for his appointment as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom, and expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom for its vote for the UNGA resolution, along with 142 other countries, condemning Russia’s decision to annex.
Ben Salman stressed that the Kingdom’s vote for the resolution emanates from its commitment to the deep rooted principles in the UN charter and international law, and its commitment to the respect of state sovereignty and the principles of good neighborliness, and resolving conflicts by peaceful means.
The President of Ukraine said the two leaders had agreed to work towards the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russian troops. The Saudi Crown Prince played a prominent role in mediating efforts in September that successfully led to the release of 10 prisoners of war, including two Americans.
The United States will provide almost $368 million in additional humanitarian aid to Ukraine to support people inside Ukraine and refugees forced to leave their country, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
“Our commitment to the people of Ukraine is resolute. The United States is providing nearly $368 million in additional humanitarian aid to support people inside Ukraine and refugees forced to flee their country to seek safety in the midst of Russia’s brutal war,” he wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Moldova is ready to continue providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine and to accept more refugees from Ukraine, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.
“The Moldovan government has also provided humanitarian aid in Vinnytsia, Odesa, Chernivtsi and Mykolaiv regions to cover all the growing needs of the people who live there, and we are ready to continue to provide this assistance,” Sandu said at a press conference following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday.
Sandu pointed out that about 500,000 people from Ukraine went to Moldova after Russia’s large-scale aggression. According to her, there are still 73,000 refugees from Ukraine in Moldova, 42,000 of whom are children.
“I confirmed our readiness to provide them with all the necessary support and accept more people if necessary,” Sandu assured.
A group of Ukrainian lawmakers will travel to Seoul next month, Yonhap reports, citing a representative of the South Korean ruling party Power of the People.
“As far as I know, their visit to South Korea will take place around July 4,” a party spokesman said on condition of anonymity.
He noted that the number of participants in the Ukrainian delegation will be identical to the composition of the South Korean delegation that visited Kyiv in June.
According to sources, the Ukrainian delegation is expected to be headed by MP Andriy Nikolaenko.
One of the main topics of discussion will be humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Seoul approved the allocation of additional $30 million in humanitarian aid to Kyiv.
It is specified that these funds will be used to provide medicines and food, but not weapons.
South Korea plans to allocate an additional $20 million, which will increase the total amount of South Korean assistance to Ukraine to $100 million, the agency said.
President of the United States Joe Biden has said he had informed President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky that the U.S. is providing another $1 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, the White House reported on Wednesday.
“I informed President Zelensky that the United States is providing another $1 billion in security assistance for Ukraine,” Biden said in the statement posted on the website of the White House.
Biden also said that the assistance includes “additional artillery and coastal defense weapons, as well as ammunition for the artillery and advanced rocket systems.”
The U.S. remains committed to supporting the Ukrainian people whose lives have been ripped apart by this war, Biden said.
“Today, I am also announcing an additional $225 million in humanitarian assistance to help people inside Ukraine, including by supplying safe drinking water, critical medical supplies and health care, food, shelter, and cash for families to purchase essential items,” the U.S. president said.
The Club of Experts YouTube channel has released a new video dedicated to the prospects for the development of the volunteer movement in Ukraine after the start of the war and solving the main problems that our citizens may face when bringing humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
According to Maxim Urakin, the founder of the Club of Experts, the humanitarian situation that arose in Ukraine after the outbreak of hostilities forced tens of thousands of people to volunteer.
“At the same time, many people faced with the incomprehensibility of the processes of crossing the border and importing certain goods into the country,” the expert emphasized.
In his commentary, the head of the International Technology Transfer Association (ITTA), Artem Goncharenko, noted that when organizing volunteer assistance, one should understand what needs the recipients of volunteer assistance have. At the same time, in his opinion, individual and general requests of both military and ordinary citizens should be distributed.
“It is important to understand that we cannot offer a single universal solution. Need a personal approach (…). At the same time, different volunteer organizations should unite to improve the coordination of work,” he said.
In turn, Evgenia Litvinova, Chair of the Ukrainian Exporters’ Club, analyzed the latest legislative changes that have greatly simplified the delivery of international humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
In their presentation, the experts provided a detailed explanation on the following problematic issues:
– Who has the right to bring humanitarian aid to Ukraine?
– On the basis of what documents can humanitarian aid be imported?
– What changes have been introduced when filling out customs declarations?
– What shipping documents do you need to have when crossing the border?
For more details, see the video on the YouTube channel “Expert Club” at the link:
EXPERT CLUB, GONCHARENKO, HUMANITARIAN AID, IMPORT, LITVINOVA, URAKIN
