Int'l partners' support helped maintain Ukrainian energy system - Ukrainian energy minister

MOSCOW. Feb 28 (Interfax) - The support provided by international partners has helped maintain Ukraine's energy system, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said.

"This assistance is not only in the form of money but also in the form of all kinds of equipment," Ukrainian media quoted Galushchenko as telling journalists before the start of an informal meeting of the European Union energy and transport ministers in Stockholm on Monday.

The support extended by international partners to Ukraine's energy sector has helped maintain and stabilize the country's power infrastructure, which has been operating without any shortages for three weeks now, he said.

During his visit to Stockholm, Galushchenko held bilateral meetings with Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Ebba Busch, Bulgarian Energy Minister Rossen Hristov and Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten to discuss energy security, efforts to boost energy independence and assistance to Ukraine, the Energy Ministry said on social media.

As reported, the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, set up by the Energy Community Secretariat in April 2022, had received 144.366 million euros by February 1, 2023.

Ukraine's Energy Ministry said 108 million euros from this fund had already been spent on purchasing power equipment, fuel and services to meet the critical needs of Ukrainian energy companies.

The fund's donors include Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, Denmark, the European Commission, Germany's KfW bank, and the Energy Regulators Regional Association.