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EU announces €65m to support Poland, other countries hosting Ukrainian refugees

19.12.2023 07:30
The European Union has earmarked over EUR 65 million to support Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Romania in hosting people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 
The European Commission headquarters in Brussels.
The European Commission headquarters in Brussels.PAP/Abaca/AA/ABACA

The EU's executive Commission announced the funding on Monday, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

Brussels said it would release over EUR 65 million from the EU's Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) "to support Bulgaria, Czechia, Poland, and Romania in hosting people fleeing the Russian aggression against Ukraine."

The funds are earmarked to "help beneficiaries of temporary protection move out of collective accommodation towards private housing, by supporting them financially during the transition period, with language and vocational training, as well with as access to social and health services."

The EU is currently hosting over 4.1 million of refugees from Ukraine benefiting from temporary protection, which has been extended until March 2025, according to officials.

Ukraine scales back operations over artillery shortages: commander

Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian army general has said that Ukrainian forces are scaling down their battle plans against Russia due to a shortage of ammunition.

In an interview published on Monday, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi told the Reuters news agency that Ukraine lacked 122mm and 152mm artillery shells, and that a drop in foreign military aid had an impact on the battlefield.

The brigadier general said Ukrainian forces were "replanning" their operations and scaling them down as a result.

At the same time, Tarnavskyi also told Reuters that Ukraine was preparing reserves for "further large-scale actions."

The commander's remarks came as US President Joe Biden's USD 61 billion military aid for Kyiv has stalled in Congress.

Last week, Hungary vetoed EUR 50 billion in fresh European Union funding for Ukraine. 

Tuesday is day 664 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

(pm/gs)

Source: Interfax-UkraineEuropean Commission, ISW, Reuters