On Friday, October 24, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Katherina Reiche, arrived in the Ukrainian capital for an unannounced visit.
That is according to Deutsche Welle, Ukrinform reports.
Reiche said she has visited Ukraine and Kyiv several times before. But this was her first visit as Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy.
She explained that one of the main reasons for her visit was to help Ukraine restore its energy infrastructure and replace equipment damaged by Russian attacks.
Reiche noted that there were all the necessary instruments for this. She is using them together with her working group — financially and procedurally — in close cooperation with German and Ukrainian energy suppliers.
She pledged that Germany would allocate more funds to support Ukraine’s energy sector and ensure that the necessary equipment arrives on time. The minister recalled that German companies and energy providers such as Siemens, RWE, and E.ON have already supplied equipment, materials, transformers, substations, thermal power plants, and gas compressors to Ukraine.
Reiche emphasized that they must strengthen these efforts this winter, as the attacks are intensifying. From the very beginning, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy supply to exhaust its people and noted that 55-60% of Ukraine’s gas infrastructure has been damaged by Russian strikes. The European Investment Bank has already provided Naftogaz with loans to purchase gas on international markets, as domestic production has been affected.
She stated that Germany is once again contributing funds to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, which currently holds EUR 390 million.
In addition, Reiche said that her visit would also focus on strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and Germany in the defense sector. She noted that Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable resilience and now has one of the most advanced and technologically sophisticated armies.
Reiche stated that she is working closely with companies that not only work in the field of security but also possess technologies, for example, in the drone sector, and can help connect them with Ukrainian companies and Ukraine’s defense industry.
Reiche added that she was deeply impressed by the resilience with which Ukrainians resist Russia’s treacherous and destructive attacks.
When asked whether Germany expected a new influx of refugees from Ukraine this winter due to the energy situation, Reiche responded that such a trend was already being observed and that Germany was working intensively to address it.
As Ukrinform reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had agreed on further steps ahead of the upcoming Coalition of the Willing meeting.
Photo: Mykola Berdnyk / DW