PARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters) – France will hold a call on Friday with G7 countries as well as Nordic and Baltic states to coordinate support for Ukraine’s energy grid after Russian bombings left hundreds of thousands of people without power and heating, its foreign minister said.
Electrical engineers have been working around the clock in hazardous conditions for weeks after Russia escalated attacks on Ukraine’s grid during an extreme cold snap.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has declared an energy emergency after sustained Russian strikes over winter knocked out power generation and distribution facilities.
“He continues to shell Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. We will continue to support Ukraine,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told BFM television.
He said France would supply Ukraine with the equivalent of 13 extra megawatts of electricity and around 100 generators to replace destroyed infrastructure.
Other countries would also pledge assistance during the meeting later on Friday, he said.
(Reporting by John Irish; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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