Blinken: United States to send $1.3 billion more in aid to conflict-hit Ukraine

The United States will send $1.3 billion more in aid to Ukraine to help the conflict-hit country overhaul its energy grid and modernise its ports, railways and other infrastructure, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

"Recovery is about laying the foundation for Ukraine to thrive as a secure, independent country, fully intergrated with Europe, connected to markets around the world," Blinken told the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.

"With the support of the U.S. Congress, we will provide more than $1.3 billion in additional aid to help Ukraine toward that goal."

Of that amount, $520 million will go towards helping Ukraine overhaul its battered energy grid, while $657 million will be used to help modernise its border crossings, ports, rail lines and other critical infrastructure, Blinken said.

About $100 million will be used to help digitise Ukraine's customs and other systems "to boost speed and to cut corruption" and another $35 million to help Ukrainian businesses through financing and insurance.

The new aid comes on top of more than $20 billion in economic and development assistance the United States has provided to Ukraine, Blinken said.