LIVE – Ukraine: kyiv asks the European Union for “additional support” to get through the winter

Ukraine on Friday asked the European Union for “additional support” to get it through the winter, as almost half of its energy infrastructure was put “out of order” by massive Russian attacks that destroyed it since early October.

“Almost half of our energy system has been put out of order,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmygal said at a news conference on Friday, calling for “additional support” from the EU.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 17 provinces and the capital Kyiv suffered power outages, but engineers were working to fix the power grid and blackouts were becoming less frequent.

Finnish border guards on Friday presented a detailed plan for the construction of a barrier to tighten the security of its border with Russia, which has been under tension since the invasion of Ukraine.

Topped with barbed wire, this three meter high fence will be built on an area of ​​200 km along a highway, for a total cost of €380 million.

The construction, divided into three phases, will begin in March 2023 with the installation of a three-kilometre pilot barrier at the Imatra border crossing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday dismissed the idea of ​​a “brief truce” with Russia, arguing it would only make things worse.

“Russia now seeks a short truce, a breather to regain strength. This could be seen as the end of the war, but such a breather will only make the situation worse,” the Ukrainian leader said.

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