UN scales up aid for Ukraine, appeals for $1.7 billion

GENEVA (Reuters) – U.N. businesses on Tuesday launched an emergency attraction to reply to the hovering humanitarian wants following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling for $1.7 billion to assist individuals who have fled the nation and people nonetheless inside.

“The disaster has turned very ugly very quick,” Martin Griffiths, Below-Secretary-Common for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Aid Coordinator, advised journalists at a press convention in Geneva. He referred to as for compassion to match the dimensions of the disaster.

Filippo Grandi, UN Excessive Commissioner for Refugees, stated on the identical briefing that 150,000 extra individuals had fled the nation within the final 24 hours, bringing the entire variety of refugees to round 677,000.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Modifying by Andrew Heavens)