US to declare 'substantial' aid for Ukraine on sidelines of NATO meeting in Romania

The United States is likely to declare financial aid for war-torn Ukraine with Secretary of State Antony Blinken elucidating details of it on the sidelines of a NATO meeting that is set to commence in the Romanian capital Bucharest on November 29, according to The Guardian.

A senior US official said on November 28 that the financial aid “is substantial and it is not the end” in America’s support to Ukraine as the latter braces for a harsh winter amid relentless strikes on its critical energy infrastructure. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the US government has a budget of $1.1billion of energy expenditure in Ukraine as well as Moldova.

This comes as foreign ministers of NATO come together in Bucharest for a two-day meeting on November 29 and 30 to discuss the present situation in Ukraine and ways to extend help to the nation ravaged by war. “Here in Bucharest, NATO Foreign Ministers will address ways to step up our support for Ukraine, as well as other partners facing Russian pressure – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of the meeting.

'Cannot let Putin win': NATO chief on Russia-Ukraine war

The NATO chief further added that the world cannot “let Putin win” as it would “would show authoritarian leaders around the world that they can achieve their goals by using military force,” thus making the world a “more dangerous place for all of us," Stoltenberg said, according to a transcript of his remarks on the NATO website. 

Meanwhile, Germany has set up a G7 meeting on Tuesday to hold talks about the energy crisis that Ukraine is battling. The Russia-Ukraine war has created ripples across the world and has spurred a mass exodus of Ukrainians who have fled to countries like Moldova and Romania to seek refuge. According to numbers cited by Washington, the city of Bucharest is currently home to almost 80,000 refugees from the war.