The destructive conflict between Russia and Ukraine will not stop, Zelensky is preparing a winter plan with the EU.
There is no possibility of the war between Russia and Ukraine stopping soon, Ukraine is trying to make itself capable of fighting the war in winter. For this, it needs to repair its energy infrastructure because most of its energy infrastructure has been destroyed in Russian attacks.
The European Union (EU) has once again extended a helping hand to Ukraine. EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen is on a visit to Kyiv today. She will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky here. She has also promised to provide Ukraine with a fresh energy fund of $180 million (about Rs 1503 crore).
The EU estimates it has provided at least $2.24 billion (Rs 187 billion) in energy aid to Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion. Von der Leyen said she would meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday to discuss energy issues.
EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen has said that out of this, $112 million (Rs 935 crore) will be recovered from Russian assets kept in the European Union because it has been invading Ukraine since February 2022. He said that it would be better if Russia pays the price for this because it is the reason behind all this wastage.
The European Union has estimated that about 50 percent of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been destroyed. In such a situation, keeping homes, hospitals and schools warm will be a very difficult challenge as the temperature will fall rapidly in the coming days and Ukraine will have to face its third consecutive year of winter amid the war.
Von der Leyen said that Russia is well aware of the damage it is causing to Ukraine by bombing the power station. If people continue to shiver in the cold, their ability to fight the war will decline.
EU-Ukraine preparing 'winter plan'
International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol has said that we may see a big impact of this. People will look for ways to escape the cold and will be displaced to places where they can get warmth and shelter. Referring to this statement, the EU chief has said that given these circumstances, international help to Ukraine becomes more important. He said that as a friend and ally of Ukraine, we have to make all efforts so that we can continue the power supply in winter. He said that we have to keep the brave people of Ukraine warm as well as move the economy forward.
Efforts to make Ukraine a green economy
The EU chief said that in the coming days, many such efforts will be made to compensate for this loss. For example, Lithuania is dismantling a thermal power plant and sending it to Ukraine via ship, its parts will be reassembled in Ukraine. European Union countries will also continue to export electricity to Ukraine, which will meet about a quarter of Ukraine's needs in the coming months.
The EU is trying to decentralize energy production in Ukraine through the use of solar panels and other new technologies, making it more difficult for Russian attacks to directly impact the energy grid. He said this would also help Ukraine become a green economy.