KYIV — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced her arrival in Ukraine’s capital on Friday to discuss continued European support, winter preparedness, defense, and G7 loans with Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
This marks her eighth visit to Kyiv, coming at a crucial time as Ukraine braces for the winter season, with Russia continuing to target its energy infrastructure. Von der Leyen highlighted that Russia has damaged around 9 gigawatts of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, equivalent to the power needs of the three Baltic states.
In response, the European Union is preparing to restore 2.5 gigawatts of Ukraine’s power-generating capacity and boost electricity exports to supply an additional 2 gigawatts. She also announced on Thursday that 160 million euros from frozen Russian assets would be allocated to address Ukraine’s urgent humanitarian needs for the upcoming winter.
The meetings will focus on ensuring Ukraine is equipped to handle the approaching winter amid ongoing military and infrastructure challenges.