Some 3.5 million people, half of them children, have now fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion on 24 February.
On 23 March, speaking at the European Humanitarian Forum, President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission addressed the European Parliament said: “In response to this emergency, thousands of European families have opened their homes. Countless associations and NGOs are providing clothes, shelter, medicines, or are sending buses to drive Ukrainians to safety. All European Member States are doing their part.