Ukraine Reconstruction: Commissioner Simson visited the country to boost the support for Ukraine's energy system

On Tuesday, 1 November, Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson visited Ukraine to discuss with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Minister of Energy German Galushchenko and international partners the immediate concrete support for its battered energy sector. Russia's persistent and deliberate targeting of Ukrainian energy infrastructure over the past weeks and months has affected more than 30% of the country's energy system. In Kyiv, Commissioner Simson said: “In its war against Ukraine, Russia has turned energy into a battlefield. And on this battlefield, the EU fights next to Ukraine. Russia is deliberately targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure to increase human suffering as winter approaches. Our top priority is to protect millions of families in Ukraine from the cold and the dark. We need a joint effort by governments, institutions and private companies in the EU and beyond to scale up the support that we are already providing.” The EU has, together with the Member States and private companies, delivered millions of euro worth of emergency energy equipment to Ukraine. In addition, €25.5 million has been made available to cover the most urgent needs via the Ukraine Energy Support Fund that the Commission has set up with the Energy Community. A dedicated campaign to mobilise further support from the private sector will be launched in the coming days jointly by the Commission, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine and the Energy Community. During her visit to Ukraine, Commissioner Simson also co-chaired the EU-Ukraine High-Level Energy Dialogue with Minister Galushchenko, met with the members of the Ukrainian parliament and had discussions with Ukrenergo and other Ukrainian energy companies. A press release on the visit and the press remarks by Commissioner Kadri Simson are available online. (For more information: Tim McPhie – Tel.: +32 2 295 86 02; Giulia Bedini – Tel: +32 2 295 86 61).