The Icelandic government has decided to send ISK 130 million [just over $1 million; €929,000] in emergency financial assistance to Ukraine via the World Bank. RÚV reports that Foreign Minister Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir announced the additional funding after attending a meeting last week in Washington, D.C. wherein international leaders met to attend the World Bank’s roundtable on Ukraine. The meeting was scheduled to coincide with the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
This is Iceland’s second major emergency aid donation to Ukraine. In February, Iceland committed €1 million to humanitarian support in Ukraine, and also made a €200,000 contribution to NATO’s Trust Fund for the Ukraine Professional Development Programme.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Smyhal and Minister of Finance Sergei Marchenko were both present at the meeting and emphasized Ukraine’s urgent need for financial assistance, both in order to maintain basic services and also for reconstruction efforts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an address remotely.
In her own address, Þórdís Kolbrún expressed Iceland’s desire to contribute as much as possible to support Ukraine in its efforts to repel Russia’s invasion of their country. “The Ukrainian people are fighting for their lives and freedom,” she said, reemphasizing that Iceland continues to stand in solidarity with Ukraine.
