Poland asks EU for $2.4B to help host Ukrainian refugees

WARSAW

Poland requested for €2.2 billion ($2.4 billion) from the EU to cover the accommodation and care expenses of Ukrainian refugees, a Polish official has said.

Speaking to Polish public broadcaster TVP Info on Wednesday, Deputy Interior Minister Blazej Pobozy said the EU should not delay assisting Warsaw with hosting the incoming refugees.

Pobozy said that €2.2 billion ($2.4 billion) had been requested from the bloc to cover the accommodation and care costs of Ukrainian refugees.

He said the refugees were given national identification numbers to access the country's healthcare and education systems, as well as the job market.

National identification numbers have so far been provided to nearly 500,000 refugees, 96% of whom are women and children, he added.

Poland currently hosts over 2.36 million Ukrainian refugees on its soil, according to UN figures.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US and the UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,189 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,901 injured, according to estimates by the UN, which cautioned that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 4 million Ukrainians have also fled to several European countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.