International donors pledge $1bn in civilian aid for Ukraine

France is organizing a major international conference on Tuesday to coordinate civilian aid for war-ravaged Ukraine.
The aim is to alleviate civilian suffering in a country devastated by incessant bombing from Russia. Specifically, the event is to focus on helping Ukraine meet its needs for water, power, food, health and transport during the winter months.
It also aims to put in place a system for the coordination of civilian aid similar to the one Western countries are using to coordinate their military support.
A web-based platform will allow Kyiv to list its civilian aid needs, and allow donors to show what they'll supply in response.
Later on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said that the initiative had raised around €1 billion ($1 billion) in aid aftering seeking a target of some $800 million. She also clarified that the money was "not loans", but gifts to Ukraine.
She added that around half of the aid would go to infrastructure damaged by Russian airstrikes, which have targeted energy facilities in particular.
"We cannot leave them alone faced with winter, faced with their aggressor which is seeking to inflict difficulties on them," she told reporters.