At the Ukraine peace summit in Lucerne, Switzerland, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced over $1.5 billion in aid to support Ukraine’s energy sector and address humanitarian needs resulting from Russia’s 27-month attack. The $1.5 billion includes $500 million in new funding for energy assistance and the redirecting of $324 million in previously announced funds toward emergency energy infrastructure repair and other needs in Ukraine, the vice president’s office said.
“These efforts will help Ukraine respond to Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure by supporting repair and recovery, improving Ukraine’s resilience to energy supply disruptions, and laying the groundwork to repair and expand Ukraine’s energy system,” Harris’ office said.
She also announced more than $379 million in humanitarian assistance from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to help refugees and other people impacted by the war. The money is to cover food assistance, health services, shelter, and water, sanitation and hygiene services for millions of Ukrainians.
Harris, who will spend less than 24 hours at the gathering in Lucerne, Switzerland, will be standing in for President Joe Biden at the event. The president will be just ending his participation at the G7 summit in Italy and returning to the United States to attend a fundraiser for his reelection campaign in Los Angeles.
Harris will meet with Zelenskiy and address the summit’s plenary session. Biden met with Zelenskiy both at the G7 summit, where they signed a U.S.-Ukraine bilateral security agreement, and in France for events surrounding the 80th anniversary of the World War Two D-Day invasion.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will represent the United States at the summit on Sunday and help establish working groups on returning Ukrainian children from Russia and on energy security.
Russia not invited for Ukraine’s peace summit
Russia has not been invited to the Swiss event, which Ukraine says will be attended by representatives from more than 100 countries and organisations, including many heads of state. A report by Financial Times quoted Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, as saying that Kyiv might invite a Moscow representative to a second peace summit sometime in the future.
Putin’s conditions for Ukraine ceasefire
Putin on Friday listed out a series of conditions to immediately cease fire and enter peace talks with Ukraine. However, they were completely at odds with the terms demanded by Ukraine. Before listing them out, Putin said his “conditions are very simple” and then started saying them one after another.
Putin trying to mislead world powers
Intensifying attack on Putin, Ukraine’s foreign ministry described the Russian President’s words as “manipulative statements aimed at misleading the international community (and) undermining diplomatic efforts to achieve a just peace”.
“It is absurd for Putin, who planned, prepared and executed, together with his accomplices, the largest armed aggression in Europe since the Second World War, to present himself as a peacemaker,” the ministry further said Friday.
With inputs from agencies.
