US to accept up to 100 thousand Ukrainian refugees

President Joe Biden says the US ‘has an obligation to respond to the refugee crisis spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

 Reuters  – BRUSSELS, March 24 – The United States plans to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion and is pledging $1 billion in new humanitarian aid, the Biden said on Thursday after a month of bombardments touched off Europe’s fastest-moving refugee crisis since the end of World War Two.

The announcement coincided with U.S. President Joe Biden’s meeting with European leaders in Brussels to coordinate the Western response to the crisis.

More than 3.5 million people have fled since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, putting a strain on the neighboring European countries receiving them.

U.S. lawmakers and advocates have urged Biden to do more to help those seeking refuge in the United States.

The Biden administration said in a statement it would use “the full range of legal pathways” to bring Ukrainians to the United States, including the U.S. refugee resettlement program, which provides a path to citizenship.

As part of the effort, Ukrainians may enter through existing visa avenues and through a relief program known as “humanitarian parole,” which allows people into the country on an emergency basis, the senior administration official said. The Biden administration said it will focus on Ukrainians with family members in the United States.