EU Commissioner Visits Ukraine As Bloc Pledges 160 Million Euros for Winter

The European Commission president arrived in Kyiv on Friday as the EU promises €160 million ($180 million) to help Ukraine prepare for the upcoming winter. Ursula von der Leyen’s visit will focus on repairing and reconnecting the country’s war-damaged electricity grid and boosting its heating capacity as the cold weather draws in. Around half of the war-torn nation’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed, and rolling blackouts leave parts of the east in darkness for four hours at a time. Von der Leyden said it was as though all of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia had lost electricity. “Heating season starts in two weeks and Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure aims to inflict maximum damage,” von der Leyen said as she arrived in the capital for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We will help Ukraine in its brave efforts to overcome this.”...