EU allocates EUR 40M to help Ukraine prepare for approaching winter

Today, the European Commission has announced an additional EUR 40 million in humanitarian funding to Ukraine ahead of the approaching winter.

The relevant statement was published on the website of the European Commission, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“With relentless [Russian – Ed.] attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the Commission is boosting its humanitarian funding to vulnerable Ukrainians with an additional EUR 40 million ahead of the approaching winter. Out of this, EUR 35 million is allocated for humanitarian projects in Ukraine and EUR 5 million for supporting Ukrainian refugees and their host communities in Moldova,” the report states.

According to the European Commission, the primary focus of this funding is to help prepare Ukraine for the freezing winter months. Together with its humanitarian partners, the EU aims to repair damaged buildings, ensure electricity and heating, and provide shelter to the ones most in need.

In Moldova, the new funding is targeting the most vulnerable Ukrainian refugees, to provide them with protection and access to basic services. Moreover, this will enhance Moldova’s preparedness for potential refugee flows in the future.

“Russia’s war on Ukraine has continued to escalate in 2024 with no end in sight, putting civilian lives in constant danger. The approaching winter will only add to their hardships. Together with our humanitarian partners, we are already preparing for the challenges winter will bring to Ukraine. To support the most vulnerable, the EU is boosting its humanitarian aid with an additional EUR 40 million, including EUR 35 million for Ukraine and EUR 5 million for Moldova, raising this year’s total contribution to EUR 110 million for Ukraine and EUR 13 million for Moldova,” European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said during a regional Civil Protection Forum in Lithuania.

A reminder that the European Union had been providing massive economic, financial, military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the Russian full-scale invasion started in February 2022.

Including the new funding announced today, the European Commission allocated in total EUR 966 million for humanitarian aid programmes to help civilians affected by the war in Ukraine. Of this funding, EUR 895 million was allocated for humanitarian programmes within Ukraine and EUR 71 million to support refugees who had fled to neighboring Moldova.