EU provides €40 million in humanitarian aid for winter preparedness in Ukraine

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

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 refugees, to provide them with protection and access to basic services, and to enhance the preparedness for additional refugee flows.

The announcement comes as Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, is in Lithuania today attending a regional Civil Protection Forum, with a focus on mobilising further support to Ukraine ahead of the upcoming winter. During his visit, he will meet with the Minister of Interior of Lithuania, Agnė Bilotaitė.

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “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 €40 million, including €35 million for Ukraine and €5 million for Moldova, raising this year’s total contribution to €110 million for Ukraine and €13 million for Moldova. I want to also thank Lithuania and all other countries who continue offering vital energy supplies via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Your solidarity with Ukraine is as important as ever.”

Background

The EU has been providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine since the conflict erupted in 2014 and is actively operating across the country, prioritizing hard-to-reach areas near the frontlines in the eastern and southern regions. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the EU substantially ramped up its relief efforts in Ukraine.

Including the new funding announced today, the European Commission has allocated in total €966 million for humanitarian aid programmes to help civilians affected by the war in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Of this funding, €895 million has been allocated for humanitarian programmes within Ukraine and €71 million to support refugees who have fled to neighbouring Moldova.

In addition to its humanitarian aid operations, the European Commission has been coordinating its largest ever operation under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism by delivering more than 150,000 tonnes of in-kind assistance into Ukraine, such as ambulances, fire engines, medicines, shelter supplies, power generators, and much more.

For extra layer of crisis support, the EU has also deployed its own rescEU emergency stockpiles to send power generators, medical equipment, temporary shelter, and specialised equipment for public health risks such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.