02:30European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed that the European Union members are 'preparing for the winter together' with Ukraine during a press conference in Brussels on Thursday.
"We will make an additional amount of close to 160 million euros (178.5 million USD) available for this winter. This includes 60 million euros (66.9 million USD) in humanitarian aid – for shelters and heaters, for example. And it includes around 100 million euros (111.5 million USD) for repair works and renewables," she announced.
Von der Leyen underscored that 100 million euros come from the payoffs of the immobilised Russian assets in the EU, as 'it is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it caused', adding that more is needed and Europe "must keep transferring part of the proceeds from immobilised Russian assets to Ukraine's energy resilience."
"In two weeks' time, the heating season starts. As temperatures are dropping, the European Union is ready to step up its support to Ukraine," the EC president proclaimed, noting that after the press conference, she will visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev to discuss the issue.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), declared that the Ukrainian energy crisis is 'one of the most pressing energy security issues of the world today'.
"In the last two winters, thanks to the very hard work of our colleagues in Ukraine and Ukraine's international partners, such as Europe, Ukraine went through the winter," he proclaimed.
However, Birol continued: "This coming winter will be extremely fragile for Ukraine's energy system, and we cannot afford to fail from an energy angle, from an economic angle, from a social angle and beyond."
At the end of July, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, highlighted the severe impact on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and warned that the coming months would be crucial as Ukraine faces potential winter energy shortages.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Head Filippo Grandi called on the international community for 'greater support' while his refugee agency launched a 'winter support plan', providing money for residents to insulate their homes and pay energy bills.
Ukraine is expected to confront a drop in electricity-generating capacity due to reported attacks on power plants, high-voltage transmission lines, and energy infrastructure. Instead of the 18 gigawatts required to meet consumption on cold winter days (-10°C, 14°F), only 12-13 gigawatts are predicted to be available at most.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
'Preparing for winter together' - VdL announces 160m in Ukraine support for 'shelters and heaters'
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed that the European Union members are 'preparing for the winter together' with Ukraine during a press conference in Brussels on Thursday.
"We will make an additional amount of close to 160 million euros (178.5 million USD) available for this winter. This includes 60 million euros (66.9 million USD) in humanitarian aid – for shelters and heaters, for example. And it includes around 100 million euros (111.5 million USD) for repair works and renewables," she announced.
Von der Leyen underscored that 100 million euros come from the payoffs of the immobilised Russian assets in the EU, as 'it is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it caused', adding that more is needed and Europe "must keep transferring part of the proceeds from immobilised Russian assets to Ukraine's energy resilience."
"In two weeks' time, the heating season starts. As temperatures are dropping, the European Union is ready to step up its support to Ukraine," the EC president proclaimed, noting that after the press conference, she will visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev to discuss the issue.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), declared that the Ukrainian energy crisis is 'one of the most pressing energy security issues of the world today'.
"In the last two winters, thanks to the very hard work of our colleagues in Ukraine and Ukraine's international partners, such as Europe, Ukraine went through the winter," he proclaimed.
However, Birol continued: "This coming winter will be extremely fragile for Ukraine's energy system, and we cannot afford to fail from an energy angle, from an economic angle, from a social angle and beyond."
At the end of July, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, highlighted the severe impact on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and warned that the coming months would be crucial as Ukraine faces potential winter energy shortages.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Head Filippo Grandi called on the international community for 'greater support' while his refugee agency launched a 'winter support plan', providing money for residents to insulate their homes and pay energy bills.
Ukraine is expected to confront a drop in electricity-generating capacity due to reported attacks on power plants, high-voltage transmission lines, and energy infrastructure. Instead of the 18 gigawatts required to meet consumption on cold winter days (-10°C, 14°F), only 12-13 gigawatts are predicted to be available at most.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed that the European Union members are 'preparing for the winter together' with Ukraine during a press conference in Brussels on Thursday.
"We will make an additional amount of close to 160 million euros (178.5 million USD) available for this winter. This includes 60 million euros (66.9 million USD) in humanitarian aid – for shelters and heaters, for example. And it includes around 100 million euros (111.5 million USD) for repair works and renewables," she announced.
Von der Leyen underscored that 100 million euros come from the payoffs of the immobilised Russian assets in the EU, as 'it is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it caused', adding that more is needed and Europe "must keep transferring part of the proceeds from immobilised Russian assets to Ukraine's energy resilience."
"In two weeks' time, the heating season starts. As temperatures are dropping, the European Union is ready to step up its support to Ukraine," the EC president proclaimed, noting that after the press conference, she will visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev to discuss the issue.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), declared that the Ukrainian energy crisis is 'one of the most pressing energy security issues of the world today'.
"In the last two winters, thanks to the very hard work of our colleagues in Ukraine and Ukraine's international partners, such as Europe, Ukraine went through the winter," he proclaimed.
However, Birol continued: "This coming winter will be extremely fragile for Ukraine's energy system, and we cannot afford to fail from an energy angle, from an economic angle, from a social angle and beyond."
At the end of July, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, highlighted the severe impact on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and warned that the coming months would be crucial as Ukraine faces potential winter energy shortages.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Head Filippo Grandi called on the international community for 'greater support' while his refugee agency launched a 'winter support plan', providing money for residents to insulate their homes and pay energy bills.
Ukraine is expected to confront a drop in electricity-generating capacity due to reported attacks on power plants, high-voltage transmission lines, and energy infrastructure. Instead of the 18 gigawatts required to meet consumption on cold winter days (-10°C, 14°F), only 12-13 gigawatts are predicted to be available at most.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.