The key facts

  • Zelensky announced an agreement with von der Leyen on the EU emergency assistance mechanism
  • The most difficult situation with electricity, water and heating is in Kyiv, the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy and Donetsk regions, and Kherson
  • The amount of assistance and timelines are not disclosed; the European Commission has not separately confirmed the launch of the mechanism

Agreement on an emergency assistance mechanism

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that during a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen he had agreed on the use of a special EU mechanism for assistance in emergency situations. According to him, this will make it possible to promptly provide Ukraine with funds for its most urgent needs, and the teams of both sides are already working on implementing the agreement. He wrote about this on his Telegram channel, as noted by Anadolu and Life.ru.

Reason for the appeal and funding context

The reason for the call was the severe situation with electricity, water and heating supplies in a number of cities and communities after Russian strikes. Zelensky named Kyiv, the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy and Donetsk regions, as well as Kherson, as the worst affected. At the same time, as Life.ru notes, the specific amount of the proposed assistance and the timeline for its provision are not being disclosed, and the European Commission has not yet separately confirmed the launch of the mentioned mechanism. The outlet also recalls that the European Commission earlier transferred to Ukraine 4.36 billion euros under a 90 billion euro credit program: 3.7 billion was intended for budget needs and 658 million for the purchase of weapons. The Ukrainian leader's statement itself was published on his Telegram channel.

Other topics of the conversation

In addition to emergency assistance, Zelensky said he discussed with von der Leyen additional energy and humanitarian aid for winter preparations, as well as issues of Ukraine's accession to the EU. According to him, the European Commission published its annual enlargement report last week, in which it positively assessed Ukraine's progress, and it is important to 'open all clusters and begin closing chapters' of the negotiation process. The sides also coordinated their positions on the upcoming trilateral meeting of Russia, the US and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi; Zelensky said he is doing everything to make this format deliver results. He added that in recent days, Ukrainian teams in Brussels have been working on a recovery plan and security guarantees from Europe.