On 29–30 January, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Iryna Vereshchuk, paid a working visit to Brussels.

Together with the Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine for European Integration, Ilona Havronska, she took part in the 6th Senior Officials Meeting on Humanitarian Issues for Ukraine, attended by the leadership of DG ECHO, the European External Action Service, EU Member States, international donors, humanitarian organisations, and Ukrainian authorities.

In her address, Iryna Vereshchuk expressed gratitude to the EU as Ukraine’s key humanitarian donor for providing over €4.2 billion in assistance, stressing that this support saves Ukrainian lives. At the same time, she drew partners’ attention to new challenges caused by Russia’s targeted attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure, against the backdrop of shrinking humanitarian funding. She underlined the need to ensure the continuity and timeliness of humanitarian financing in 2026, to increase resources for life-saving operations, as well as the importance of aid localisation and a transition to recovery without undermining current humanitarian needs.

In a video address at the opening of the meeting, EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib stressed that the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is deepening, and that for millions of people—especially in frontline areas—humanitarian assistance remains the only means of survival. The Commissioner announced an initial assistance package of over €150 million for Ukraine in 2026 and emphasized the importance of stable and predictable funding. The role of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was also highlighted, under which thousands of generators have been delivered to Ukraine and thousands of medical evacuations carried out.

Alongside humanitarian assistance, the European Commission announced emergency energy support for Ukraine. Over the past week, 447 power generators worth €3.7 million have already been delivered to ensure electricity supply to hospitals, shelters, and other critical infrastructure facilities. In addition, the European Commission decided on the urgent deployment of a further 500 generators from rescEU reserves to support essential services amid damage to energy infrastructure.

During the visit, Iryna Vereshchuk held a series of bilateral meetings with senior officials of relevant European Commission departments and the EEAS, and took part in a donor coordination meeting. Discussions focused on humanitarian response priorities for 2026, the need to increase funding, localisation of aid, strengthening the resilience of the response system, support for veterans, as well as opportunities for cooperation with NATO in preparing the civilian population for national resistance and sharing Ukraine’s experience in this field. It was agreed to organise a number of visits to Ukraine by senior European Commission officials responsible for humanitarian response in the near future.

As part of the visit, Iryna Vereshchuk also participated in a meeting of the NATO Political Committee and visited the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).