“After numerous large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy, logistics, water, and gas supply, we decided to create this coalition; electricity [generation] was not the only focus,” Zelenskyy told reporters after meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel in Kyiv.
The Dutch minister announced an immediate EUR25 million ($29 million) grant to help fund repairing the Ukrainian power grid.
Norway, the Netherlands, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have already thrown their support behind the initiative, Zelenskyy said. The coalition’s inaugural session will address the challenges Ukraine faces after sustained Russian strikes and identify areas where assistance is most needed.
“We’re talking about transformers, different types of turbines—gas and otherwise—and also about importing gas,” he said.
Earlier this week, The Economist reported that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has intensified air strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter, aiming to fracture the national grid and make parts of eastern Ukraine uninhabitable. The report said Putin’s strategy focuses on destroying electric networks, central heating and gas supplies as temperatures drop.