Czech Republic to Help Ukraine Restore Energy Facilities Damaged by Russian Missile Attacks

The Ukrainian-Czech Joint Commission on Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technical Cooperation agreed on a number of decisions, including in the energy sector, during its tenth meeting in Prague. 

This was reported by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.

"The Czech Republic reaffirmed its readiness to support the efforts of the Ukrainian government to restore energy facilities damaged or destroyed by Russian shelling. In particular, the parties discussed the possibility of providing Ukraine with spare parts for the rapid restoration of energy facilities. The parties are interested in the joint development of renewable energy sources in Ukraine," the statement said.

"I am convinced that our meeting today clearly demonstrates the very good relations between our two countries, which is reflected in our continued support for Ukraine and the growth of mutual trade Supporting Ukraine is our moral and strategic duty. At the same time, it is also an economic opportunity. The development of Ukraine and the reconstruction of its energy and transport infrastructure are essential to defend the country against the Russian invasion. However, the war is having a negative impact on the willingness of private companies to offer their services to Ukraine. We agreed that it is crucial to attract international funding, including funding from the EU, to address this problem. Further development of our cooperation will also be facilitated by Ukraine's accession to the EU internal market," said Josef Sikela, Minister of Industry and Trade, noting that this will help boost Ukrainian exports to the EU and thus strengthen Ukraine's defence against Russian military aggression.

Ukraine and the Czech Republic also agreed to establish a permanent working group to restore the destroyed critical infrastructure. The Czech Republic also informed about the possibility of expanding the use of the NET4GAS transport system to supply natural gas to Ukraine.

Both sides noted that they are ready to implement joint projects in the defence industry, in particular, they are interested in localising some Czech production facilities in Ukraine.