02:45Mandatory credit: US Department of State
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that 'the upcoming winter will be challenging' for Ukraine during the G7+ Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support in New York City on Monday.
"We have, once again, not just the prospect but the reality of Putin weaponising winter, weaponising the weather to use energy as a weapon in his efforts to subjugate Ukraine," Blinken said. "Our countries have been working together every single day to help ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to get through the winter."
The state secretary also noted that G7 members have the 'mobilised more than $4 billion' in support for Ukraine's energy sector. He added that the bloc recently allocated "$324 million toward emergency energy sector support."
For his part, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed concern over the energy supply in Ukraine and promised that Kiev's energy security would be 'at the top' of Rome's G7 presidency.
"We will host the Ukraine recovery conference in 2025. The energy sector will play an important role. Italy is strongly engaged on this on the bilateral level since the start of the war," he said.
Ukraine is expected to confront a drop in electricity-generating capacity due to reported attacks on power plants, high-voltage transmission lines, and energy infrastructure. Instead of the 18 gigawatts required to meet consumption on cold winter days (-10°C, 14°F), only 12-13 gigawatts are predicted to be available at most.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Head Filippo Grandi called on the international community for 'greater support' while his refugee agency launched a 'winter support plan', providing money for residents to insulate their homes and pay energy bills.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
'The upcoming winter will be challenging' - Blinken hosts G7+ Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that 'the upcoming winter will be challenging' for Ukraine during the G7+ Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support in New York City on Monday.
"We have, once again, not just the prospect but the reality of Putin weaponising winter, weaponising the weather to use energy as a weapon in his efforts to subjugate Ukraine," Blinken said. "Our countries have been working together every single day to help ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to get through the winter."
The state secretary also noted that G7 members have the 'mobilised more than $4 billion' in support for Ukraine's energy sector. He added that the bloc recently allocated "$324 million toward emergency energy sector support."
For his part, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed concern over the energy supply in Ukraine and promised that Kiev's energy security would be 'at the top' of Rome's G7 presidency.
"We will host the Ukraine recovery conference in 2025. The energy sector will play an important role. Italy is strongly engaged on this on the bilateral level since the start of the war," he said.
Ukraine is expected to confront a drop in electricity-generating capacity due to reported attacks on power plants, high-voltage transmission lines, and energy infrastructure. Instead of the 18 gigawatts required to meet consumption on cold winter days (-10°C, 14°F), only 12-13 gigawatts are predicted to be available at most.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Head Filippo Grandi called on the international community for 'greater support' while his refugee agency launched a 'winter support plan', providing money for residents to insulate their homes and pay energy bills.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Mandatory credit: US Department of State
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that 'the upcoming winter will be challenging' for Ukraine during the G7+ Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support in New York City on Monday.
"We have, once again, not just the prospect but the reality of Putin weaponising winter, weaponising the weather to use energy as a weapon in his efforts to subjugate Ukraine," Blinken said. "Our countries have been working together every single day to help ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to get through the winter."
The state secretary also noted that G7 members have the 'mobilised more than $4 billion' in support for Ukraine's energy sector. He added that the bloc recently allocated "$324 million toward emergency energy sector support."
For his part, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed concern over the energy supply in Ukraine and promised that Kiev's energy security would be 'at the top' of Rome's G7 presidency.
"We will host the Ukraine recovery conference in 2025. The energy sector will play an important role. Italy is strongly engaged on this on the bilateral level since the start of the war," he said.
Ukraine is expected to confront a drop in electricity-generating capacity due to reported attacks on power plants, high-voltage transmission lines, and energy infrastructure. Instead of the 18 gigawatts required to meet consumption on cold winter days (-10°C, 14°F), only 12-13 gigawatts are predicted to be available at most.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Head Filippo Grandi called on the international community for 'greater support' while his refugee agency launched a 'winter support plan', providing money for residents to insulate their homes and pay energy bills.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.