Morawiecki: international donors' conference raised 6.5 billion dollars for Ukraine

The conference, aimed at helping Ukraine deal with the economic and humanitarian fallout of Russia's invasion, was hosted by Poland and Sweden, in cooperation with the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel respectively.

During a news conference at the end of the event, Morawiecki gave higher estimate, saying more than 7 billion euros had been raised. A Polish foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for clarification from Reuters.

"Our support for Ukraine has many dimensions, including the political alliance, military aid, but also the humanitarian effort. The situation continues to deteriorate. More than a quarter of Ukraine's population has been internally displaced or forced to leave the country. Russia attacks on civilians, murder, rape, torture, refusal to create safe humanitarian corridors and forced deportations further worsen the conditions. Ukraine needs over 12,000 tons of humanitarian aid every day. This is information which we got from our Ukrainian friends," Morawiecki said.

"Dear Ukrainian sisters and brothers, their president Zelensky, dear prime minister Shmyhal, Dear Denis: we know very well that today you are not only fighting for your homeland, independence and freedom, but also for ours. We will continue to support you in every possible way. And you will win this war. We will win together. Together, we will demonstrate that European values are not empty words, but that they are backed with action," he added.

European Council President Charles Michel said that he and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had discussed the idea of a solidarity trust fund to support Ukraine.

"And at our last European Council meeting in March, we decided to create this solidarity fund. And this is a concrete expression of our commitment to Ukraine, together with the help and support of external donors. And our solidarity efforts will focus on three key areas: humanitarian support, short term liquidity needs, and reconstruction. And we must act now to address the immediate suffering of the Ukrainian people, both in and outside Ukraine. That's why priority number one is to raise money for this humanitarian action," Michel said.

"The future of a safe and prosperous Ukraine, combined with research and funding, with the necessary reforms and is not just a long term theoretical vision reconstruction starts today," the EU Council chief added.

The European Commission also pledged 200 million euros in aid for displaced people in Ukraine, it said in a statement.

Countries such as France, Finland, the Czech Republic, Croatia and others pledged millions of euros to support humanitarian and military efforts in Ukraine.

France will increase its overall financial aid to Ukraine this year to $2 billion from 1.7 billion, President Emmanuel Macron said in a video address to Warsaw's international donors' conference.

"The humanitarian needs of the population and the economic situation of the country call for a new effort by the international community which meets the needs linked to the destruction of civilian infrastructure," Macron said.

"I would also like, in this conference that brings us together in Warsaw, to acknowledge the exceptional efforts of Ukraine's European neighbours. And among them, in particular, the Polish people, who since February 24th welcomed several million Ukrainians. Poland has made every effort to respond to the distress and misfortunes of those forced to leave Ukraine. The solidarity expressed by Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Moldova is exceptional, and it is right and fair that we collectively support them in these solidarity efforts the same way we provide direct support to Ukraine," French president added.

Ukraine has received more than $12 billion in weapons and financial aid since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal added in a statement at the end of the event.