Australian philanthropists donate $3.15 million to Ukraine, urge governments to step up support

Minderoo Foundation on Feb. 27 donated 5 million Australian dollars ($3.15 million) to support Ukrainian communities impacted by Russian aggression and affirm Ukraine's territorial integrity.

The package builds upon 20 million Australian dollars ($12.6 million) that the Australia-based charity, founded by Andrew and Nicola Forrest, has already provided for demining, food and energy security, and the protection of children in Ukraine.

Russia's full-scale war, which recently entered its fourth year, has sparked a deep humanitarian crisis in the country, leaving millions displaced and housing and infrastructure devastated in front-line regions.

"The invasion of one country by another is wholly offensive to civilization. Ukraine has every right to protect its borders, and the international community will be extremely shortsighted if it does not stand with Ukraine," said Andrew Forrest, an Australian billionaire, philanthropist, and founder of the Fortescue mining group.

"While philanthropy can play a crucial role, governments across Europe should redouble their efforts to make Russian assets and elite interests pay for the war of aggression they have waged on Ukraine."

The foundation's latest assistance package focuses on regions in Ukraine's east, including Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and elsewhere. It targets communities impacted by Russia's use of cluster munitions in Mykolaiv in 2022 and Russia's deadly missile strike against an apartment building in Dnipro in January 2023.

The donation will further provide support for demining in agricultural areas, households impacted by the war, and peace-building and community cohesion activities in cooperation with civil society organizations.

Nicola Forrest noted that one-quarter of Ukraine's agricultural land remains contaminated by landmines and unexploded ammunition.

"Demining is a humanitarian and economic imperative. Recovery, growth and global food security depends on it," she said in a statement.

The foundation said that the latest donation is intended to recognize Ukraine's territorial integrity and reflects Minderoo's commitment to the Ukrainian leadership in peace efforts.

"President (Volodymyr) Zelensky is the democratically elected leader of his people and a man of great character and resilience," Andrew Forrest said on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale war.

"As I have told the president before, we unequivocally support Ukraine to recover from this atrocious war on the terms acceptable to him and his people."

The statement comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump's diplomatic outreach to Russia in an effort to broker a peace deal, seemingly sidestepping Kyiv and Europe.

The U.S. president caused an uproar in Ukraine and elsewhere when he called Zelensky a "dictator without elections" and said the Ukrainian head of state is not vital to the peace process.