Putting EU Foreign Policy into action in support of Ukraine

Three years in, the European Union (EU) continues to stand by Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments has supported these efforts. Our support includes for example humanitarian mine action, accountability, reconstruction efforts, and military support through the European Peace Facility.  Here are a few examples of how FPI contributed to this collective effort:

1. Humanitarian mine action

We support the Government of Ukraine in its ambitious reform of the mine action sector to ensure that land is released in the safest and most efficient manner. This is essential for enabling displaced people to return to their homes and for economic recovery in frontline areas. Our assistance includes the provision of substantial demining equipment, as well as national and international expertise to Ukraine’s mine action authorities and state operators. Additionally, we provide support to demining NGOs for mine clearance, training, and victim assistance.

Since 2022, we have provided Ukraine with around €80 million in support for humanitarian mine action. Together with contributions from EU Member States, the EU has allocated more than €370 million to the sector, making it the second-largest donor to mine action in Ukraine globally.

2. Building Ukraine’s resilience

With partners we are building Ukraine’s resilience by supporting its reconstruction efforts. Through removal and management of debris we have ensured a return to normality in de-occupied territories and have supported the reconnection to water and electricity following the Kakhovka damn destruction. We are strengthening Ukraine’s energy resilience including by providing mini power stations and generators to maintain energy production despite targeted attacks. FPI has also helped to refurbish over 80 educational institutions that have been damaged or destroyed, thus facilitating access to education.

3. Accountability

The EU is supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations into war crimes committed in Ukraine and has supported the establishment of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA). This support of altogether €7.25 million strengthens the investigation capacities of the ICC, enabling to scale-up its data storage and processing infrastructure and analytical and forensic capacity. It also supports national and international investigations of the Crime of Aggression in cooperation with Eurojust. Further projects are supporting the collection of evidence by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine on war crimes committed, including on the crime of aggression against Ukraine, the search for missing persons and the work of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

4. Providing military equipment to defend Ukrainian people and territory

The EU, through the European Peace Facility (EPF), has provided substantial military equipment to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces defend its territorial integrity and population. The support to Ukraine aims at reinforcing its military and defence capabilities by supplying non-lethal equipment, such as trucks, buses, ambulances, surgery and stabilisation units, radiology units or tactical first-aid kits; as well as military equipment and platforms designed to deliver lethal force. The European Peace Facility has enabled the financing of such equipment delivered by Member States.