The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to help the EU in the energy crisis with additional electricity supplies from his country. “We are preparing to increase our electricity exports to consumers in the European Union,” said the head of state yesterday in Kyiv in his evening video message. “Our export not only allows us to earn foreign exchange, but also our partners to withstand Russian energy pressures.”
Selenskyj alluded to the declining Russian gas supplies to Europe. Gas is also needed for electricity production. The Russian energy giant Gazprom had again reduced deliveries through the Baltic Sea pipeline “Nord Stream 1” due to alleged technical problems on Wednesday – this time to 20 percent of the maximum volume.
Ukraine “Guarantee of European Energy Security”
“Step by step we are making Ukraine one of the guarantors of European energy security, precisely through our domestic electric power production,” said Zelenskyy. Before Russia’s war of aggression, which Moscow began in February, Ukraine had covered 50 percent of its electricity needs from nuclear power. The country was also dependent on electricity imports from Russia and Belarus.
Because production is at a standstill because of the war, a large part of the energy is not needed, said Zelenskyj. However, the Russian troops had recently captured the largest nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, a hydroelectric power plant on the Dnipro River and at least two coal-fired power plants.
“We will liberate our whole country with military, diplomatic and all other available tools,” said Zelenskyy. Looking at the bridge over the Dnipro River in southern Kherson Oblast, which was bombed by Ukrainian forces, the head of state stressed that everything would be rebuilt after the recapture.