Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed the EU would activate a special emergency mechanism after Russian strikes disrupted electricity, water and heating in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy announced the agreement after their Nov. 9 call, saying it would speed funding for Ukraine’s most urgent needs. Neither leader’s public account specified an amount, the ultimate recipients or when assistance would arrive.
Zelenskyy singled out Kyiv and Kherson, along with the Dnipro, Sumy and Donetsk regions, as facing the greatest difficulties. The leaders also discussed additional energy and humanitarian support ahead of winter. Von der Leyen said she supported Zelenskyy’s call for a ceasefire covering food and energy infrastructure.
The Kyiv Independent reported that European Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova identified the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as the aid channel. The Commission says participating countries can provide equipment and technical help through the system, which can also draw on EU reserves and help cover delivery costs. The leaders’ statements did not describe how the funding Zelenskyy mentioned would be provided through it.
The Commission marked the mechanism’s 25th anniversary on Oct. 23. In November 2022, its Emergency Response Coordination Centre was preparing equipment deliveries to Ukraine. The plan included 40 heavy generators held in an EU reserve in Romania and 200 medium-sized transformers from Lithuania.
On Nov. 6, Zelenskyy said damage to grids, transformers and switchgear had caused shortages in some regions despite sufficient generating capacity.
