The European Union will activate a special emergency assistance mechanism for Ukraine due to severe problems with electricity, water and heating supplies following Russian strikes. This will allow funds to be provided quickly for the country’s most urgent needs.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this after a conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to Zelenskyy, the most difficult situation is currently in Kyiv, as well as in the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy and Donetsk regions and in Kherson.
“I told Ursula about the challenges, and 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 needed most right now. The teams are already working on this,” the president said.
Zelenskyy and von der Leyen also discussed additional energy and humanitarian assistance to help Ukraine prepare for winter.
European integration was another topic of the conversation. Zelenskyy recalled that last week the European Commission published its annual EU Enlargement Report, which positively assessed Ukraine’s progress.
“It is important to open all clusters and begin closing chapters,” Zelenskyy said.
The two also discussed diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war. According to the president, during recent talks in Brussels, Ukrainian and European teams worked on a recovery plan and security guarantees from Europe.
Zelenskyy and von der Leyen also coordinated their positions ahead of the meeting in Abu Dhabi.
“We are doing everything to ensure that the trilateral format delivers results,” the president said.
