Ukraine will face important energy transition - Borrell

The European Green Deal, the main purpose of which is to combat climate change, will soon have deep geopolitical consequences, according to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

He said this at a press conference following a meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council in Brussels on Thursday, February 11, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The implementation of the Green Deal, as part of the fight against climate change, is going to have very strong and deep geopolitical consequences. Some assets that today are very much valuable will not [have value in the future] and others, which today do not have value, will have a lot. And one of the problems affecting our relationship with Russia and with Eastern [Partnership] countries is gas supply. In Ukraine, they will have to face an important energy transition and we are ready to help Ukraine on that," Borrell said.

He recalled that at the EU-Ukraine summit in October, the European side already welcomed Ukraine's ambition to approximate their policies and legislation with the European Green Deal. Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal have already had meetings to discuss the approximation of Ukraine to the European Green Deal and to identify the most appropriate way in which the EU can support this difficult transition to a green economy, Borrell said.

"It is a transition that is easier for some countries and more difficult for others, depending on the energy mix that they have and the natural resources they can use. But at the end, the purpose is the same, it affects all of us. And we at the European Union know very well that our efforts [alone] will not be enough. We need to have partners, and Ukraine has to be one of these partners," he said.

A government delegation led by Shmyhal began a visit to Brussels last Tuesday. Government officials met with the leaders and officials of the EU, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and NATO.

On February 11, Shmyhal headed the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations in the format of the EU-Ukraine Association Council.

Photo: European Union