Galushchenko discusses energy security with US Senate delegation

“On January 17, Minister Galushchenko met with a bipartisan delegation of the U.S. Congress consisting of Senators Robert Portman, Chris Murphy, Jeanne Shaheen, Amy Klobuchar, Richard Blumenthal, and Roger Wicker,” the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine posted on Facebook.

In addition, the meeting was attended by Deputy Energy Minister of Ukraine Yulia Pidkomorna, Director General of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine Serhiy Makohon, Chairman of the Board of Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, and Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine Yuriy Vitrenko.

"The parties discussed the energy challenges facing Ukraine and the world in connection with the escalation of tensions by Russia. In particular, special attention was paid to the Russian gas supplies to the EU and the impact of the Nord Stream 2 project on continental security," reads the statement.

During the meeting, Ukraine's initiative to introduce the Regional Energy Security Partnership (RESP) as a tool to strengthen the security of European countries amid the existing threats in the area of natural gas supply was touched upon.

The Energy Ministry notes that the parties pointed out the issues of synchronization of the Ukrainian energy system with the European ENTSO-E and the priority areas of the Ukrainian energy development.

As reported, the Biden administration has been working closely with the new German government, as well as the European Union, to delay the launch of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

During a visit to Washington last week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 certification process was due to the pipeline's non-compliance with EU requirements. In addition, she confirmed that the current German government was ready to put on hold the Nord Stream 2 project if Russia used gas as a weapon or intensified its aggression against Ukraine.

ol