Plan to rebuild Ukraine’s grid
The United States will put $53 million (NZ$85m) towards rebuilding Ukraine’s battered electrical grid, as officials scramble to help Ukrainians withstand a sustained Russian assault that has plunged millions into darkness and cold.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the plan, intended to help Ukraine rapidly procure transformers, circuit breakers and other hardware following weeks of missile and drone attacks, during talks in Bucharest with counterparts from the Group of Seven bloc of industrialised nations.
The assistance plan, which officials pulled together in the weeks after Russia began regularly targeting energy sites in Kyiv and other areas on October 10, is a sign of the international concern about the growing energy crisis in Ukraine, where millions have been deprived of heat, electricity and running water as winter sets in.
At least a quarter of Ukraine’s energy network is now damaged, US officials say, compared with less than 5% before Russia embraced its apparent shift in tactics last month. Across Ukraine, residents are being asked to conserve energy and prepare for scheduled blackouts as authorities attempt to mitigate the impact of ongoing strikes.
The US announcement came on the sidelines of a Nato ministerial meeting in the Romanian capital, where other alliance officials condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s targeting of vital infrastructure, as they have his wider war, and pledged wideranging support.
Russia ‘‘is willing to use extreme brutality and leave Ukraine cold and dark this winter,’’ Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said at the opening of the meeting. ‘‘So we must stay the course and help Ukraine prevail as a sovereign nation.’’
Stoltenberg said Nato allies were stepping up the supply of non-lethal aid to Ukraine, including fuel and generators, but did not offer specifics on new announcements.
A statement from German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock suggested the G7 conversation on critical infrastructure would continue at a donors meeting in Paris on December 13 that will focus on ‘‘civilian resilience in Ukraine’’.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba emphasised his country’s need for additional military support, but said that energy security had emerged as an issue equally important as traditional security concerns for Ukraine and Nato nations.
‘‘When we have transformers and generators, we can restore our system, our energy grid, and provide people with decent living conditions, which President Putin is trying to deprive them of,’’ Kuleba said in remarks alongside Stoltenberg.
‘‘When we have air defence systems, we will be able to protect this infrastructure from the next Russian missiles strikes, and they are definitely to come,’’ he said. ‘‘Unfortunately, this is the reality that we have to prepare for.’’
The promises of immediate help getting Ukraine’s power system fully operational may run into difficulties given the short global supply of essential parts such as giant autotransformers. – Washington Post