EU foreign ministers will discuss preparations for Ukraine’s energy system ahead of the next heating season during a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on July 13, the Council of the EU press service told Suspilne.
11 July, 11:45 AM
Europe
EU foreign ministers will discuss preparations for Ukraine’s energy system ahead of the next heating season during a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on July 13, the Council of the EU press service told Suspilne.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha will attend the meeting in person.
The main focus will be on urgent support for Ukraine’s air defenses, financing, protecting and restoring critical energy infrastructure, and long-term measures to strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy system, the Council said.
EU member states must distribute responsibility for supporting Ukraine more evenly, a diplomat from one of Kyiv’s leading supporter countries told Suspilne.
“Burden-sharing is important in the nonmilitary sphere, but especially in the military sphere,” the diplomat said.
“The current situation, in which a very small group of member states bears the lion’s share of support for Ukraine, is unacceptable.”
The diplomat also noted that some EU countries, including France, Italy and Spain, continue to actively issue Schengen visas to Russian citizens, adding that such states could contribute more to supporting Ukraine.
EU foreign ministers will hold an informal meeting with Sybiha and representatives of two Ukrainian human rights organizations before the formal session.
During the breakfast meeting, the sides plan to discuss the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, including Ukrainian civilians held by Russia.
The EU Intergovernmental Conference is also expected to formally approve the decision by EU ambassadors to open the sixth negotiation cluster in Ukraine’s EU accession process on July 14.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that on the night of 10-11 July, when explosions were heard before an air-raid warning was issued, Russia struck civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has support among people in Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s circle when it comes to ending the war.