Good afternoon, esteemed colleagues, dear Ukrainians!

We are starting a regular session of the Government.

Last week, Ukraine passed the “equator” of winter. From the beginning of the first massive missile attack on our power system, we realized that this would be the most difficult winter in our history. So far, all russian attempts to plunge Ukraine into darkness have failed. We have passed the first half of the winter with dignity. But it is too early to relax. The work goes on.

We have enough resources to carry on and complete the heating season as usual. About 11 billion cubic meters of gas are stored in gas storage facilities, and almost 1.2 million tonnes of coal are in stock. Yesterday, the Government adopted a resolution allowing the state-owned company Naftogaz of Ukraine to attract a grant from the EBRD worth almost EUR 189 million. The company will be able to import additional volumes of gas with these funds.

The condition of the energy system remains difficult but under control. The latest large-scale enemy shelling resulted in the loss of another part of electricity generation. The situation is complicated by the fact that a significant part of the generating capacities are located in the temporarily occupied territories. Among them is Zaporizhzhya NPP, which the russian terrorists have turned into a potential threat to the whole world. Therefore, we must adhere to the energy consumption limits and resort to emergency shutdowns should they be exceeded.

Together with our allies, we continue working to coordinate the restoration and strengthening the resilience of our energy infrastructure. Today, we will hold a meeting of the so-called energy Ramstein.

This meeting format is designed to address three key objectives. The first is to accelerate ongoing repairs to restore generation and distribution volumes. The second is to promote decentralization of the energy system and make it less vulnerable to the enemy. The third is to help Ukraine implement new energy efficiency programs.

We are working with partners to increase the supply of autotransformers, switchgear, generators, and other equipment. We are jointly developing new tools to support households seeking to install alternative energy sources. We are striving to increase electricity imports from Europe. Soon we will have greater technical capabilities in this regard. We expect our partners to provide financial support for this initiative.

Predictable financial support is another guarantee of our sustainability and future victory. This year, Ukraine’s minimum funding needs are USD 38 billion to finance the budget deficit and USD 17 billion for the priority recovery.

The European Union and the United States remain our key partners. We thank them and all the countries, international institutions and private benefactors who are helping us win the war.

It is equally important that financial assistance projects be well coordinated. That is why the G7 countries have created a multi-donor coordination platform, the so-called financial Ramstein. It will operate in three main areas: sustainable short-term and long-term support for Ukraine, international financing, and coordination of reforms and private sector development.

We expect that the first meeting of the platform’s steering secretariat will take place this week. The financial Ramstein format will bring together the EU and G7 countries, IMF, EIB, EBRD, OECD, and other international financial organizations.

Both formats – energy and financial Ramstein – are aimed at ensuring additional resilience of our country and fulfillment of two main tasks facing the Government. The first is to fully finance all critical expenditures, especially with regard to recovery projects. The second task is the successful completion of the heating season and preservation of integrity of our energy system.

At the same time, our Government continues to implement other reforms necessary for the state. In particular, this concerns the development of the anti-corruption architecture. This is a systematic and consistent work that is essential for Ukraine and is an integral part of European integration.

The process of selecting the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau is entering its final stage. The Government is interested in the competition being completed as soon as possible so that we get a professional head of this key state institution.

Along with the development of the anti-corruption architecture, we are continuing three other related reforms.

First, we are pursuing a course to reduce the role of the state in the economy through privatization and public-private partnerships. Less state in the economy means less opportunities for abuse by officials.

The second reform that runs across all our projects is, of course, digitalization. A computer does not take bribes, so all government services should be digitalized.

The third reform that will receive a new impetus this year is the public administration reform. Its goal is to increase the efficiency of the state apparatus, while reducing the cost of its maintenance. We are focusing on optimizing functionality and further digitalization.

We are continuing the corporate reform. Today, the Government will appoint the Supervisory Board of Naftogaz by approving 6 winners of the selection process to serve on the company’s Supervisory Board. These are four independent members and two state representatives.

We make every effort to ensure a better and stronger Ukraine.

Thank you for your attention! Glory to Ukraine!