Ukraine must be energy independent, so with the support of the European Union, our country will implement a major program of energy modernization. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that answering questions from media representatives following the 23rd Ukraine-EU Summit in Kyiv.
The Head of State noted that a significant amount of time had been devoted to energy security during the negotiations today.
"We have a big energy saving program. This applies not only to the insulation of each home. Today, Ukraine needs about 300 billion hryvnias for this program - for energy saving, replacement of networks throughout our country. We see that we can implement this program. We will definitely implement it. With the support of experts and financial assistance from EU countries, this will be faster. But in any case, we will start doing it next year - we cannot wait, when our neighbor threatens to cut off or reduce the volume of gas. We must be truly energy independent," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to the Head of State, this program will be discussed in detail with EU partners.
The President also noted that nuclear energy would be developed in Ukraine, especially after the signing of a memorandum between the American company Westinghouse and NNEGC Energoatom.
"Energy independence of the state is very important. But in any case, it is important for us to maintain the transit of gas through our territory," Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
For her part, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen noted that Ukrainian and European experts are considering different scenarios. According to her, there are several areas of work: transit of gas through the territory of Ukraine and income from it, security of gas supply and strategic capabilities of gas storage facilities.
"We are working on all these scenarios. The main thing is energy independence, which is as important for Ukraine as it is for the EU. It is a smart investment to invest in renewable energy, non-fossil fuels and to have a better investment strategy in energy efficiency, because when you achieve energy efficiency, you do not waste energy, you optimize energy consumption and energy supply,” Ursula von der Leyen concluded.
