The Ukraine-NATO Council meeting was held at NATO headquarters in Brussels, convened at the initiative of the Ukrainian side. The main topic of discussion was energy security and the protection of critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
The meeting was chaired by NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Joana. Among the participants were Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine Farid Safarov, Deputy Chairman of the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine Oleksandra Potii, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Air Force Hennadiy Sheludko.
The NATO Deputy Secretary-General highly praised Ukraine for its resilience to Russian attacks and for the rapid and innovative restoration of the power grid. Allies emphasized that under no circumstances should Russia's attempt to use winter as a weapon be successful and assured readiness to provide the necessary assistance to Ukraine.
"Russia attacked our energy infrastructure daily throughout the entire heating season last year. To restore and prepare it for winter, we are conducting the most extensive repair campaign. But the enemy will continue its attacks. The best protection for our energy facilities is air defense, and we thank our allies for their readiness to help in this direction," commented Ukrainian Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko on the meeting.
It's worth noting that the Ukraine-NATO Council is a joint body where NATO members and Ukraine meet for consultations in crisis situations and joint decision-making. This body was established following the NATO summit held in July 2023 in Vilnius, with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
