Europe 1 with AFP 06:40, April 13, 2023, modified at 06:44, April 13, 2023

On the 414th day of the Russian invasion, the World Bank (WB) announced Wednesday that it would grant $ 200 million to Ukraine to allow the country at war to restore its electricity grid, particularly targeted by Russian strikes during the winter.

THE ESSENTIALS

The World Bank (WB) announced Wednesday that it will grant $ 200 million to Ukraine to allow the country at war to restore its electricity grid, particularly targeted by Russian strikes during the winter. This new injection of money could be accompanied by another donation, of $ 300 million, from "partners and other contributors, as the project is expanded," the bank added in its statement.

The sum is intended to enable Ukraine to carry out emergency works to restore the most critical infrastructure and to install heating equipment when necessary. "Ukraine's energy infrastructure suffered $11 billion in damage in 2022 and is one of the sectors where Ukraine needs the most urgent repairs," World Bank Managing Director Anna Bjerde said in the statement.

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Russia's campaign of destruction specifically targeting the electricity grid during the autumn and winter has brought down more than 50 percent of the country's energy infrastructure, the institution said, especially in the east of the country, where fighting is most violent.

$23 billion in financing

This new envelope brings to nearly $23 billion the total amount of financing provided by the bank to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict, whether in the form of loans or grants. So far, $20 billion has been disbursed to the country at war.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached an agreement with the Ukrainian government on 21st March a $15.6 billion aid plan, as part of a broader plan involving the G7 countries and the European Union, for a total amount of $115 billion.

A meeting of Ukraine's main supporters was also held Wednesday in Washington at the IMF headquarters, in the presence of Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and with the online participation of President Volodymyr Zelensky and the country's various partners.

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The Ukrainian president took the opportunity to thank them for their help while stressing the need not to reduce support for the country at war.