President signs decree to provide humanitarian aid to Lebanon

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed the Decree “On Provision of Humanitarian Aid to the Republic of Lebanon” No. 319/2020.

The document stipulates that Ukraine will send Lebanon cargo to help overcome the consequences of the explosion in the port of Beirut.

According to the decree, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance immediately.

More than 200 people were killed and over 5,000 were injured in powerful explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital on the evening of August 4. The massive blast was caused by the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port for years. The explosion damaged buildings in a radius of several kilometres in Beirut, leaving more than 300,000 people homeless or living in homes with no windows or doors.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced on August 13 that sixteen out of 56 Ukrainians, who were injured in the explosion or whose houses were damaged, already received one-time payment from Ukraine's Embassy in Lebanon.

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