BRUSSELS, October 19. /TASS/. The upcoming winter is likely to bring "major challenges" for Ukraine, so the European Union will provide temporary winter shelters and additional humanitarian aid amounting to 175 million euros to the Kiev government, Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic said on Wednesday.
"The upcoming winter is likely to bring major challenges to Ukraine and we must be prepared. Via our rescEU reserve, a temporary shelter capacity will be immediately deployed to three different regions in Ukraine: Rivne, Bucha and Kharkiv [Rovno, Bucha and Kharkov]. In addition, the EU is boosting its humanitarian aid funding with further a €175 million to provide education, food, access to water, and protection from the cold winter for the most vulnerable," the EU official, who arrived in Ukraine earlier in the day, was quoted as saying by the European Commission’s press service.
Lenarcic is visiting Ukraine on Wednesday "to help coordinate one of the EU's most extensive emergency response operations," the press service said.
During his visit, the EU commissioner met with President Vladimir Zelensky, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishina, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and other officials.
Unlike previous visits by European officials, the European Commission has published no speech transcripts, videos or any other information about Lenarcic's trip.