The Diplomat
The Council of Ministers yesterday approved an agreement authorizing aid of 300,000 euros for Ukraine and for neighboring countries that are hosting refugees who have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which began last February 24, has resulted in more than three million refugees and internally displaced persons, a number that continues to increase. Faced with this situation, Ukraine and its bordering countries, such as Moldova, Slovakia and Poland, among others, have requested assistance, through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, to help the population affected by the conflict.
In order to meet the needs of the population affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) decided to grant emergency humanitarian aid to Ukraine and the neighboring countries that are hosting refugees. The humanitarian aid consisted of the purchase of medicines, medical supplies, respirators and relief materials for the water, sanitation and shelter sectors, and the dispatch of three trucks to the border areas of Poland. The total amount of the action has been budgeted at a maximum of 300,000 euros.
The Council of Ministers yesterday also authorized the contracting of an air transport service, for an estimated amount of 100,000 euros, for the repatriation from Poland of 146 Spaniards from Ukraine.
After the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Spanish Embassy in Kiev organized, on February 24 and 25, two caravans to Poland in which 146 Spanish citizens were travelling. Their situation was very delicate, since the urgency inherent in the consular crisis was compounded by the absence of air connections from Ukraine. The journey by car to Poland took more than 24 hours. Among the Spaniards were people of special vulnerability, such as young children or elderly people, so it was extremely urgent for them to return to Spain by air once they had left Ukraine.
In view of the need for the administration to act immediately to alleviate the serious danger arising from the situation described above and the impossibility of viable commercial alternatives for their return from Poland, the contracting of air transport services for an estimated amount of 100,000 euros was declared an emergency. The flight took place on February 28, 2022.
