Ukraine convenes Energy Ramstein after Russian strikes: what is known
16 January 02:24
Ukraine convenes Energy Ramstein after Russian strikes on the country’s energy system. This was announced by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
“On the instructions of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, together with the Ministry of Energy, we are convening an Energy Ramstein meeting, at which we hope to receive additional contributions and specific commitments from our allies,” the official said.
Sybiga also said that this week Ukraine received a large support package worth $200 million from Norway for the purchase of gas and equipment, and Italy has already begun delivering high-power industrial boilers (from 550 to 3,000 kilowatts) worth €1.85 million, which “will help the most affected communities.”
“We expect new bilateral energy support packages from other partners in the near future. There will be news on this front as early as January 16,” the foreign minister said.
He also announced additional bilateral aid packages for Ukrainian air defense, with new announcements on this matter expected the following day.
Where the situation is tense
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a special energy conference call with representatives of the government, regional and local authorities against the backdrop of a difficult situation in the energy system and a sharp cold snap. According to him, the biggest problems are currently in the capital.
During the conference call, the situation in a number of regions was discussed. Zelensky thanked the Kharkiv authorities for what he called their responsible approach to organizing the energy sector in an emergency situation.
Requests from the Dnipropetrovsk region, in particular Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and other communities in the region, are also being processed. The government will pay special attention to the Chernihiv region. The president described the situation in the Sumy region as difficult.
The problems in the Boryspil and Brovary districts of the Kyiv region were discussed separately. Zelensky expects reports on the implementation of the decisions taken by the evening.
Protection of energy facilities
The president announced a separate meeting with the Minister of Defense and the Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The meeting will focus on the protection of energy facilities and additional requests to international partners to strengthen air defense.
On January 14, Zelensky announced the introduction of a state of emergency in the energy sector and the creation of a permanent headquarters to coordinate work in Kyiv. At the same time, he stated that “very little” had been done in the capital to prepare for a crisis scenario.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko responded by saying that the city authorities and services were doing everything possible to ensure the city’s functioning. At the same time, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Kyiv was much less prepared for massive strikes on energy facilities than Kharkiv.
On January 15, the capital’s headquarters for dealing with the consequences of the shelling was already considering the issue of a curfew and the work of the Points of Invincibility.
