The EU will activate an emergency mechanism to help Ukraine after attacks on its energy infrastructure

The European Union will activate its emergency assistance mechanism to quickly provide Ukraine with funds to address the consequences of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the agreement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

According to the president, Russian strikes have left many Ukrainian cities and communities facing serious problems with electricity, water, and heating. He said the situation was most difficult:

• in Kyiv;
• in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast;
• in Sumy Oblast;
• in Donetsk Oblast;
• in Kherson.

“We agreed that the European Union will activate a special emergency assistance mechanism. This will make it possible to quickly provide Ukraine with funds for what is most urgently needed right now. Our teams are already working on this,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Preparing for winter was another part of the discussion: the two leaders discussed additional energy and humanitarian support for Ukraine. They also talked about the country’s progress toward membership in the EU.

The president drew attention to the European Commission’s annual enlargement report, published this week. According to him, the document gives a positive assessment of Ukraine’s progress.

“It is important to open all the clusters and start closing the chapters,” Zelenskyy stressed.

Diplomatic efforts were another topic of the talks. Earlier, an updated plan and European security guarantees for Ukraine were discussed in Brussels. The Ukrainian side is now coordinating its positions with the European Union ahead of the meeting in Abu Dhabi.

“I coordinated our positions with Ursula regarding the meeting in Abu Dhabi. We are doing everything to ensure the trilateral format delivers results,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.

We previously reported:

• Five regions, including Mykolaiv Oblast, receive equipment to restore energy infrastructure
• European Commission to support the restoration and protection of Ukraine’s energy system
• Four countries send new energy aid packages to Ukraine
• Mykolaiv and Dnipro to receive nearly 15 million from the EU for electricity and water
• Sweden allocates funds to support Ukraine’s energy sector; Mykolaiv is also on the list.