Vice President Kamala Harris promised another $1.5 billion in direct U.S. aid for Ukraine on Saturday at a peace summit in Switzerland.
The funds will be made available through the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
That includes money for energy assistance, repairing damaged energy infrastructure, helping refugees and strengthening civilian security in the wake of the aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin, AP reports.
Harris used a a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to set out the reasons behind the latest funding bequest courtesy of U.S. taxpayers:
This war remains an utter failure for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.
I am here in Switzerland to stand with Ukraine and the leaders from around the world in support of a just and lasting peace,” she added. “As we look forward to that peace and work toward that, the United States is committed to helping Ukraine rebuild.
The new aid total is broken down into $500 million in funding to go toward energy assistance, the White House said in its press release, as Russian strikes have continuously targeted Ukraine’s energy sector.
The effort will also direct $324 million of the previously announced funds to helping the nation repair its energy infrastructure.
More than $379 million will go to humanitarian assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department to “address urgent needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict affected communities impacted by Russia’s brutal war against the Ukrainian people,” per the release.
The funding comes just days after President Joe Biden signed an agreement tying the U.S. to a decade-long “security” pact with Ukraine that includes continued training of Ukraine’s armed forces, more cooperation in the production of weapons and military equipment, and greater intelligence sharing.
Biden has also approved sending Ukraine another Patriot missile system, something Zelensky says is desperately needed to defend against Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid and civilian areas, as well as military targets.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States has sent more than $3.2 billion in humanitarian aid and nearly $1.5 billion to help Ukraine’s energy sector, the White House said.
Biden was in Los Angeles after three days at the Group of Seven summit in Italy, where he held talks with Zelensky.
He flew from Europe to California for a star studded Saturday night fundraiser with Hollywood A-listers George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
Harris was sent in his place to the meeting in Switzerland at a venue overlooking Lake Lucerne, as Breitbart News reported.
Hay Harris: How about more aid to our own Homeless, our own Veterans, our own widows, our own tax payers on tax relief. When you owe Trillions of Dollars and our enemies are buying up our debt, why are you digging our debt hole deeper and deeper? Our enemies will sooner or later just defaut on us and take America by debt default! Any person who sells out like our Politiicans have sold out America would be thrown in debtors prision long ago. Put on your big girl panties and start acting like a responsible person and take care of your own first and what ever is left over on a balanced budget you can offer others. To do different is insane.