BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union Foreign Minister Ursula von der Leyen travels to war-torn Ukraine on Friday with a promise of 160 million euros ($180 million) in new energy funds to help the country get through the winter.
Von der Leyen told reporters that 100 million euros ($112 million) of the funds would come from the proceeds of Russian assets held in the EU following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “It is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it has caused,” she said.
The European Union estimates that around half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed, making it increasingly difficult to heat homes, hospitals and schools as temperatures plummet ahead of the country’s third wartime winter.
Von der Leyen said Russia knew full well that bombing power plants hit Ukraine where it really hurt. The morale to keep fighting could be seriously undermined if millions shiver for months in the bitter winter.
“We can see huge implications,” said Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency. “People will want to move around, to go to places where they can find shelter and heat.”
This makes international aid all the more necessary, von der Leyen said.
“As friends and partners of Ukraine, we must do everything we can to keep the lights on. And as winter approaches, we must keep the brave people of Ukraine warm, while also keeping the economy going,” she said.
Much of the coming effort will be focused on repairing the damage done. Lithuania, for example, is dismantling a thermal power plant and shipping it piece by piece to Ukraine for rebuilding. With continued electricity exports from EU countries, von der Leyen said it would cover about a quarter of the country’s energy needs in the coming months.
The EU is trying to decentralize energy production by using solar panels and other new technologies in Ukraine to make it harder for Russian attacks to have a direct impact on the energy grid. It would also help Ukraine become a greener economy, she said.
In total, the EU estimates it has provided Ukraine with at least €2 billion ($2.24 billion) in energy aid since the February 2022 invasion. Von der Leyen said she would meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday to discuss energy issues.