US Establishing Contact Group To Help Ukraine's Damaged Energy System - Reports

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2022) The United States is establishing a contact working group to assist Ukraine's energy system damaged as a result of Russia's air strikes on critical infrastructure, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing US State Department officials.

The group is being set up to help Kiev repair its power equipment, protect electricity plants and power grids, according to the news outlet. The body will include the G7 nations. The negotiations on the establishment of such a group began in early November in Germany. The next meeting is scheduled to be held in Paris in December, the media outlet reported.

The group will be similar to a defense contact group created for weapon supplies and other military aid to Kiev in April, a US official told the newspaper.

On Tuesday, the US State Department announced a $53 million emergency aid package for Ukraine to help it acquire critical electricity grid equipment, transformers and vehicles as its system comes under additional pressure amid approaching winter. On the same day, NATO foreign ministers also agreed to supply Kiev with generators and fuel to help it rebuild the country's energy infrastructure.

Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been facing damage and outages as a result of regular attacks by the Russian armed forces launched on October 10, two days after the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge, which, Moscow believes, was carried out by the Ukrainian special services. On November 15, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that about 50% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure had been damaged.