Ukraine asks US for monthly $2 billion in emergency economic aid — The Washington Post

Ukraine has asked the Joe Biden administration to provide at least $2 billion a month in emergency economic aid during the war, The Washington Post reports.

Speaking in Washington, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said Kyiv wants to receive at least $5 billion a month in international aid to cover the country's immediate needs in April, May and June. About $2 billion of this amount is expected from the United States. In addition, Ukraine calls on its partners to help rebuild the country after the war.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal previously said that Ukraine's GDP could fall by 30 to 50% this year. The government estimates the amount of short-term financial assistance from partners needed to "survive" at $4-5 billion per month for the next six months.

The United States has already provided about $1 billion in economic aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. On April 21, U.S. President Joe Biden announced another $500 million in direct economic assistance to the Ukrainian government.

American Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen earlier said more ways were needed to support Ukraine and announced an additional request to the U.S. Congress.

Ukraine's losses

In early April, Prime Minister Shmyhal said that Ukraine's losses during the war amounted to about 2 billion hryvnias ($66.2 million) a day.

"If we talk about the losses of infrastructure, during the month of the war they previously amounted to $119 billion. That is $4.25 billion every day. If we add military losses, increased military and social spending, support programs, economic and business losses, then we are talking about $565 billion."

According to the prime minister, in the long run the reconstruction and restoration of Ukraine will cost at least $600 billion.