Kyiv (dpa-AFX) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is hoping for help from the EU to restore the energy grid in his country, which was badly damaged by Russian attacks. 40 percent of the energy system has been destroyed, said the head of state at a meeting with EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson on Tuesday in Kyiv.
Zelensky suggested that the EU Commission should play a coordinating role in restoring the energy infrastructure. He recalled the Ukraine contact group, the so-called Ramstein format, in which the supporter countries coordinate their arms assistance. There should also be a “Ramstein” for business and energy, he said after media reports.
“I am sure that we will restore everything,” Zelenskyj said. “And in a calmer period, when the situation in our energy system is stable again, we will export electricity to Europe again.”
According to a statement by the EU Commission, Simson promised Ukraine help: “In its war against Ukraine, Russia turned the energy sector into a battlefield. And the EU is fighting in this battlefield alongside Ukraine,” said the Estonian politician. The top priority is to protect millions of families in Ukraine from the cold and darkness.
According to the Brussels authority, the Commission and the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy, among others, will launch a campaign in the coming days to mobilize further support from the private sector. The EU, the EU states and private companies have already supplied emergency energy equipment worth several million euros. “In view of the escalating attacks by Russia”, however, support must be increased. The EU is providing 13 million euros for the repair of laboratories at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant./fko/DP/he