By KYIV. Nov 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba took online participation in an expanded meeting of foreign ministers of the G7 countries and partners dedicated to protecting and strengthening the Ukrainian energy system for the winter period, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry (MFA) said.
Kuleba briefed his colleagues about preparing Ukraine for winter, protecting against Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, strengthening air defense and protecting the energy system.
“Ukraine has already put a lot of effort into preparing for the winter and countering the threats of Russian terror on our energy system. Today we are better prepared for winter than last year. We are deeply grateful to the international partners who are actively helping us with this. Now we face two key tasks: further strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense and provision of energy equipment for our energy system,” the minister said.
He also named specific steps, the implementation of which will strengthen the protection of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure from Russian attacks.
“Strengthening air defense is the best way to prevent further damage to our energy system. We are grateful to our partners for the assistance already provided and look forward to further increasing the number of anti-aircraft missile systems, anti-aircraft artillery, anti-drone systems, electronic warfare equipment and air defense ammunition,” the minister said.
According to Kuleba, the second priority is the provision of energy equipment, in particular additional transformers, gas turbines and other equipment necessary for the prompt restoration and strengthening of Ukraine’s energy system. In this context, he thanked his partners for the already concluded contracts for the purchase of transformers and other equipment for Ukrainian needs.
During the meeting, a number of countries and organizations announced their readiness to provide additional equipment and funding to protect and strengthen the Ukrainian power grid during the winter.
Kuleba said Ukraine’s long-term goal is full integration into the EU energy market through the creation of a decentralized, flexible and sustainable energy system in the country, based in particular on renewable energy sources.
The meeting, convened by the United States and the Japanese G7 Presidency, was attended by the G7 countries, as well as Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, the leadership of the EBRD, UNDP, the World Bank, and the International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA and the European Energy Community.
