Ivanka Trump spearheads Ukraine relief efforts

Her efforts have reportedly gathered together enough palettes of medicine and supplies to fill five C-130 transports, the first of which has already reached Eastern Europe.
Ivanka Trump waves
By Ben Whedon

Ivanka Trump, daughter of former President Donald Trump, is playing an active role in organizing relief efforts to Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion that has displaced millions of people and sparked a humanitarian crisis.

Her efforts have reportedly gathered together enough palettes of medicine and supplies to fill at least five C-130 transports, the first of which has already reached Eastern Europe.

Trump herself has stated that the palettes she has already assembled number in the hundreds and said her aim is to "support Ukrainians who have suffered so unjustly from Russia’s invasion."

Axios identified Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff as a major player in the Trump-led relief effort.

Trump has also donated 1 million meals to the refugees on the Polish-Ukrainian border and brought together the UPS Foundation, City Serve, City of Destiny, and the Pentecostal European Fellowship to get the meals delivered to Warsaw, per a Fox News report.

"With this food, I hope to provide a small source of comfort and nourishment for Ukrainians who are suffering so greatly," she told the outlet. Refugees continue to cross the Polish-Ukrainian border every day due to the ongoing Russian invasion. In border towns, many sleep in church basements or vacant apartments and exclusively eat due to host groups preparing meals using such donated goods.

Trump's efforts have met with some criticism, however. The Guardian opinion writer Arwa Mahdawi, on Wednesday published an article deriding her promotional efforts on social media and accused her of attempting to "whitewash" her image amid an ongoing fraud case. She further recalled Ivanka's close association with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

On the ground meanwhile, the Polish first lady thanked Trump via Twitter for her work in sending supplies to the border, saying (as translated) "The First Lady would like to thank the sponsors and everyone involved in the efficient implementation of the medical aid campaign for Ukraine. Donations from the USA have already been delivered to Ukrainian hospitals and partially supported Polish institutions that receive refugees." Accompanying the tweet were pictures of the palettes Trump sent over.