Fri Sep 20 07:05:29 UTC 2024: ## EU President Von der Leyen Visits Kyiv to Discuss Winter Preparedness and Support for Ukraine
**KYIV, UKRAINE** – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on Friday for her eighth visit to the Ukrainian capital, focusing on discussions surrounding Europe’s continued support, winter preparedness, defense, and progress on G7 loans.
Von der Leyen highlighted the urgency of winter preparations, particularly with the heating season approaching and Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. She announced that over $160 million from frozen Russian assets would be allocated to address Ukraine’s urgent humanitarian needs this winter.
Addressing the damage inflicted on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, von der Leyen stated that Russia has destroyed approximately 9 gigawatts of capacity, equivalent to the combined power output of the three Baltic states. The EU, she said, aims to restore 2.5 GW of generating capacity and will increase electricity exports to Ukraine by 2 GW.
During her visit, von der Leyen will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other government officials.
First Piper 