Ukraine’s partners have pledged €100 million to support preparations for the upcoming winter through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on 26 April.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s civilian energy system with missile and drone strikes, damaging generation, transmission, and heating infrastructure during winter periods. This has created ongoing repair needs and supply gaps, making external funding and equipment critical to restore capacity and keep the system stable during peak demand periods.
The new commitments were announced during a meeting of the “Energy Ramstein” coordination format, held together with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, according to Shmyhal’s statement.
New funding and gap in energy support
Shmyhal said Ukraine and its partners also agreed to seek an additional €829 million for the Energy Support Fund, which is intended to cover priority purchases and already approved energy recovery needs.
He added that the overall financing required to prepare for the heating season stands at no less than €5.4 billion.
Focus on winter resilience and infrastructure protection
According to Shmyhal, Ukraine’s priorities include protecting energy infrastructure, speeding up procurement of repair equipment, expanding distributed generation, conducting large-scale repairs, and building gas reserves ahead of winter.
He said Ukrainian specialists have already inspected eight decommissioned thermal power plants across Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Austria, and Croatia to identify equipment that could be transferred to Ukraine for damaged facilities.
Broad donor support and EU role
Shmyhal thanked the United Kingdom, EU, Italy, Norway, Canada, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Denmark, and France for their support, as well as the Energy Community Secretariat for managing the fund.
He also highlighted a separate EU decision on €90 billion in financial support for Ukraine, saying it is important for energy sector stability ahead of winter.
Energy coordination format
During the Ukraine Energy Coordination Group meeting, officials reviewed priorities for the coming months, with a focus on preparing the energy system for another heating season under wartime conditions.
Shmyhal said continued solidarity from partners remains critical, stressing that each contribution directly supports Ukraine’s energy resilience.
