Pope Francis urged to spend less on Christmas presents and celebrations and donate the money saved to Ukraine, AFP reported.

“It is beautiful to celebrate Christmas, but let us lower the level of Christmas spending. Let’s have a more humble Christmas, with more humble gifts, and send what we save to the Ukrainian people, who need it,” he said, prompting several rounds of applause in the audience hall.

“They are suffering so much, they are going hungry, they feel the cold and many are dying because there are not enough doctors and nurses available,” he said.

On Tuesday, Ukraine's Western allies pledged an additional one billion euros for emergency winter aid.