EU to provide more humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Moldova

Brussels, April 18: The European Union (EU) is allocating a further 50 million euros (about $54.03 million) of humanitarian aid to people affected by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to a EU statement.

Some 45 million euros (about $48.63 million) of the funding is allocated for humanitarian projects in Ukraine, and 5 million euros (about $5.4 million dollars) to projects in neighbouring Moldova, which has taken in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees since the start of the conflict, Xinhua news agency reported.

The new funding, which brings the EU's total humanitarian aid funding in response to the conflict to 143 million euros (about $154.53 million), will address the most pressing humanitarian needs by providing emergency medical services, access to safe drinking water and hygiene, shelter and protection, cash assistance and support against gender-based violence, according to the statement.

"As heavy fighting and missile strikes continue to destroy critical civilian infrastructure, humanitarian needs in Ukraine remain extremely high," the EU said in the statement on Sunday.