Commissioner Lahbib visits Ukraine to reiterate EU support

While Russia continues to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving more than one million people without electricity and water, the European Union remains firmly at Ukraine's side to help its people endure another winter under attack. Yesterday, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, was in Ukraine to reaffirm that Europe's support is constant, concrete and long-term — and that Ukraine's resilience remains a European priority.

Commissioner Lahbib stated: "When a family cannot heat their home or a hospital loses power, this is not collateral damage, it is a direct attack on civilians. Russia is trying to freeze a nation into submission. It will fail. Ukraine has shown remarkable resilience. Europe will continue to stand with you to keep the lights on and hope alive."

During her visit, Commissioner Lahbib met with Ukrainian authorities, including representatives of the President's Office, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Development. Discussions focused on strengthening humanitarian assistance and reinforcing the resilience of critical infrastructure in the country.

The Commissioner visited key energy facilities that supply electricity to more than 500,000 people and have been heavily impacted by attacks, leaving large segments of the population exposed during the harsh winter.

Commissioner Lahbib also visited EU-supported health and social care institutions. She met medical and social care staff, as well as beneficiaries, to discuss ongoing needs and the EU's continued support for health services and emergency response.

In addition, the Commissioner visited EU-supported centres in Kyiv that offer vital services such as heating, medical assistance, and hot meals to families affected by the energy crisis.

Background

So far, the total support provided by the EU and its Member States is €193.7 billion. The EU has also offered over 157,000 tonnes of aid – this includes over 11,200 power generators, more than 7,200 transformers, 6 autotransformers, a complete thermal power plant, thousands of electrical components, and millions of energy-efficient LED. The EU deployed almost 1,000 generators in January alone from its strategic emergency reserve in face of the relentless Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.