EU ministers will discuss Ukraine's preparations for winter and support for the power grid
On July 13, a meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council will take place in Brussels, during which ministers from EU member states will discuss Ukraine’s energy preparedness for the coming winter. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga will attend the meeting in person.
According to the EU Council’s press service, the meeting will focus primarily on supporting Ukraine’s energy system and strengthening its resilience.
In particular, the parties will discuss:
- urgent support for Ukraine’s air defense system;
- additional funding needs;
- the protection and restoration of critical energy infrastructure;
- long-term measures to strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy system.
According to a diplomat from one of the countries that is among the leaders in providing aid to Ukraine, the current burden-sharing among EU countries remains uneven.
“Sharing the burden is important in the non-military sphere, but especially in the military sphere. The current situation, in which a very small group of member states bears the lion’s share of support for Ukraine, is unacceptable,” the source emphasized.
He also pointed out that some EU countries, notably France, Italy, and Spain, continue to issue a significant number of Schengen visas to Russian citizens, and suggested that these countries could make a greater contribution to supporting Ukraine.
Before the meeting begins, EU foreign ministers will hold an informal meeting with Andriy Sybiga and representatives of two Ukrainian human rights organizations.
During this meeting, the parties plan to discuss the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, with a particular focus on the issue of Ukrainian civilians being illegally detained by Russia.
As a reminder, the Netherlands will provide Ukraine with 178 million euros to prepare for the 2026/2027 heating season, develop distributed generation, and strengthen energy resilience. The country also plans to transfer decommissioned gas turbines to Ukraine this fall.
The Kyiv City State Administration has called on the government, the National Security and Defense Council, and the Office of the President to streamline procurement procedures and determine the amount of state funding needed to ensure the timely implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for the Capital’s Resilience ahead of the heating season.
