Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has engaged with business leaders in the United States to attract investments for Ukraine’s energy sector, which has been heavily impacted by Russian airstrikes.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy shared on X that the discussions centered on “preparing Ukraine’s energy system for the winter,” amid concerns about potential power outages during the cold season.
The meeting in New York was attended by representatives from energy, finance and insurance companies, as well as the head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, and deputy secretary of state for management and resources, Richard Verma.
Zelenskyy proposed special incentives.
“This is a proposition from us. It is one of the points of our victory plan,” he said in a video posted online.
The initial significant wave of Russian airstrikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure began months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. These attacks have persisted throughout the conflict, with Moscow notably intensifying its assault since March of the same year.
Each series of strikes has resulted in Ukrainian cities enduring power outages lasting for hours and sometimes weeks.
Ukraine has condemned the targeting of its energy infrastructure as a war crime, prompting the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for four Russian officials and military leaders in connection with the bombing of civilian power facilities.
In response, Russia claims that targeting energy infrastructure is a legitimate military objective and has dismissed the charges against its officials as unfounded.
Last week, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) indicated that Russian airstrikes likely violate international humanitarian law. The HRMMU conducted visits to seven power plants that were either damaged or destroyed in the attacks, as well as 28 communities impacted by the strikes.
The report stated, “There are reasonable grounds to believe that multiple aspects of the military campaign to damage or destroy Ukraine’s civilian electricity and heat-producing and transmission infrastructure have violated foundational principles of international humanitarian law.”
The HRMMU cited experts who warned that Ukrainians should prepare for power outages ranging from four to 18 hours daily this winter. Similarly, the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued a bleak forecast last week, with Executive Director Fatih Birol stating that the upcoming winter would present the “sternest test yet” for Ukraine’s energy grid.
In a separate statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen remarked last week that “Russia is trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness with targeted attacks on its energy systems.” On Friday, she revealed that the European Union has committed to loaning Ukraine up to 35 billion euros ($39 billion) as part of a plan by the Group of Seven nations to raise $50 billion through profits from frozen Russian state assets. This funding will assist Ukraine in repairing its war-damaged energy grid and enhancing its heating capacity as winter approaches, she noted.
