EU delivers 76 emergency generators to Ukraine
A batch of 76 emergency generators from the EU's strategic reserves has been delivered to Kyiv on Tuesday to restore power supply in Ukrainian settlements. Already 300 generators out of 447 announced by the European Commission are in Ukraine.
As reported by an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, this is immediate assistance from the EU for urgent needs and is part of the EU's ongoing support for Ukraine's energy sustainability.
Speaking to journalists, European Union Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová said she was delighted to have the opportunity to "be able to show the concrete help that the European Union has brought to Ukraine."
"These are just a few of them but in the current batch that is still making it through customs," she said.
The ambassador explained that this is part of the 447 generators previously announced by the European Commission due to extremely low temperatures in January in Ukraine. The total cost of these generators is EUR 3.7 million. Part of the equipment will be delivered to the frontline regions of Ukraine.
In general, over 10,000 generators have already been transferred through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As Mathernová noted, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the EU has already provided assistance worth EUR 190 billion.
In turn, Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine Maryna Denisiuk emphasized the need to provide energy assistance to Ukrainian cities and communities suffering from Russian attacks. According to her, the equipment received from the EU "will also go to Vodokanal to connect pumps."
"Generators will be evenly distributed across regions. Special attention is being paid to large cities such as Kyiv and Dnipro. Kyiv will receive two more large generators, they are still on the way," the deputy minister said.
Denisiuk thanked the EU and added that Ukraine is working with partners on a daily basis to provide additional assistance, in particular regarding large generators.
Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society Illia Kletskovsky said "the Ukrainian Red Cross is fulfilling its supporting role for the country," welcoming a new stage of cooperation on the supply of generators.
"But within the framework of civil protection and partnership with the Civil Protection Mechanism, the Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories, today we have started additional cooperation in the supply of generators. I think this is the beginning of such cooperation. Here you see 76 generators; 72 have already been unloaded. Two more streams have already been sent to Kropyvnytsky," he said.
Kletskovsky expressed hope that the EU will continue to provide energy support to Ukraine and involve the Ukrainian Energy Ministry in the delivery and installation of generators.
