EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen Visits Kyiv Amid Winter Energy Crisis

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv to discuss European support, winter readiness, and defense. She highlighted the allocation of 160 million euros for Ukraine's humanitarian needs and efforts to restore energy infrastructure amid Russian attacks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv on Friday to deliberate on Europe's support, winter preparedness, defense measures, and ongoing progress on G7 loans.

'My 8th visit to Kyiv coincides with the onset of the heating season, while Russia continues its attacks on energy infrastructure,' von der Leyen announced on social media platform X. The President also revealed that 160 million euros from frozen Russian assets will go towards addressing Ukraine's pressing humanitarian needs this winter.

Russia has damaged approximately 9 gigawatts (GW) of Ukraine's energy capacity, an amount equivalent to the power needs of the three Baltic states. Von der Leyen articulated the EU's commitment to restoring 2.5 GW of power capacity and boosting exports to supply an additional 2 GW of electricity to Ukraine.

During her visit, von der Leyen is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other key officials.

(With inputs from agencies.)