The European Union will allocate 500 million euros to cope with the humanitarian consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine.
This was announced Tuesday, March 1, by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
"This is the first time that our Union has used the European budget to purchase and supply military equipment for a country that has been attacked. 500 million euros for the European peace mechanism to support the defense of Ukraine. We will now also respond to this [by allocating] at least 500 million euros from the EU budget to deal with the humanitarian consequences of this tragic war both in the country and for refugees," von der Leyen said at an urgent European Parliament debate on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
She said the EU is proposing to activate a temporary protection mechanism to ensure that refugees from Ukraine have are safe and have access to schools, medical services, and jobs.
"They deserve it. We have to do it now. And we know that this is just the beginning. More Ukrainians will need our protection and solidarity, and we will support them," von der Leyen assured.
Earlier on March 1, the European Parliament recognized Ukraine's European perspective and stressed that it would work immediately to ensure that Ukraine receives candidate membership status.