US vice-president, Kamala Harris, has pledged more than $1.5bn in aid for Ukraine’s energy sector and its humanitarian situation amid its ongoing war with Russia.
Harris made the announcement at a peace summit in Lucerne, Switzerland, where she met Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. She is expected to address the summit later.
“This war remains an utter failure for (Russian president Vladimir) Putin,” Harris said during a bilateral meeting with Zelenskiy.
“It is in our interest to uphold international norms,” she added, pledging US support for the country.
The $1.5bn includes $500m in new funding for energy assistance and the redirecting of $324m in previously announced funds towards 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’s 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 $379m in humanitarian assistance from the state department and the US Agency for International Development to help refugees and other people affected 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, will be standing in for US president, Joe Biden, at the event. The president will be just ending his participation at the G7 summit in Italy and returning to the US to attend a fundraiser for his reelection campaign in Los Angeles.
Biden met Zelenskiy both at the G7 summit, where they signed a US-Ukraine bilateral security agreement, and in France for events surrounding the 80th anniversary of the second world war D-day invasion.
White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will represent the US at the summit on Sunday and help establish working groups on returning Ukrainian children from Russia and on energy security.