The European Union has pledged to provide Ukraine with 160 million euros ($178 million) to help the country prepare for the upcoming winter and protect it from potential Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. This announcement was made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on September 19.
Out of the total amount, close to 100 million euros ($111 million) will come from the frozen assets of Russia in the EU. According to von der Leyen, this is a way for Russia to pay for the damage it has caused. In the past few months, Russia has launched nine attacks on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure, causing significant destruction and loss of electricity generation capacity.
The remaining 60 million euros ($67 million) of the aid will be used for humanitarian purposes, such as providing shelters and heaters. The remaining 100 million euros ($111 million) will be used for repairing energy infrastructure and promoting the use of renewable energy sources.
This decision was made by EU ambassadors on May 8, who agreed to use the profits from the frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and defense needs. It is estimated that Ukraine will receive around 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) annually from this fund.
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