G7+ promises to strengthen protection of Ukraine's energy sector: what's behind the new statement

Instead of “we repair – they destroy”: how the G7+ is preparing for the new winter of the Ukrainian energy system

Even before the start of the calendar winter, the Ukrainian power system is already living in a state of emergency: massive Russian strikes on thermal power plants, substations, gas storage facilities and power lines are once again forcing cities to prepare for long outages. Against this background, the G7 countries and G7+ partners have declared their readiness to strengthen the protection of the Ukrainian energy sector - from additional air defense systems to the supply of critical equipment and financial support for repair and reconstruction^{1 2}In the new joint statement of the G7+ co-chairs, Ukraine receives not only another confirmation of solidarity, but also an outlined action plan designed to break the exhausting cycle of "we fix - they hit"^{1 3}.

What exactly did the G7+ promise: the content of the latest statement

The G7+ Coordination Group on Energy in Ukraine, which includes the G7 countries, the EU, individual donor states and international organizations, held its next meeting in a videoconference format on December 12, 2025.¹In a joint statement by the co-chairs – EU High Representative Kaia Kallas and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand – the participants confirmed their readiness to strengthen the protection of Ukrainian energy infrastructure from missile and drone attacks, as well as to provide Ukraine with the equipment, gas and electricity necessary to get through the winter.^{1 2}. A separate emphasis is placed on active and passive air defense of energy facilities to stop the "pattern" of attrition, when partners send transformers, and Russia strikes the same nodes again and again.^{1 3}.

The group participants also reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the transition of the Ukrainian energy system to a more decentralized, diversified and EU-integrated model.^{1 3}In practice, this means supporting distributed generation projects, modernizing the grids in the western direction, increasing opportunities for electricity import/export, and continuing reforms in line with the requirements of the Energy Community.^{1 4}The document specifically condemns deliberate Russian strikes on energy infrastructure as an attempt to use cold and darkness as a weapon against civilians.^{1 7}.

G7+ Energy Coordination Group: How does this format work?

The G7+ Ukraine Energy Coordination Group was established in November 2022 as a platform for coordinating and mobilizing donor support for Ukraine's energy sector.^{4 5}It is co-chaired by representatives of Canada and the European Commission, and includes the G7 countries, the EU, a number of other partners and international financial institutions.^{4 5}It is through this format that decisions are made regarding the transfer of equipment, financing of urgent repairs, and preparation of the energy sector for heating seasons in wartime conditions.

The Ukrainian side regularly informs the group about the consequences of new strikes, the current state of generation and networks, and also forms lists of priority needs - from transformers and mobile substations to gas turbine plants and air defense systems.^{4 6}In 2025, after particularly large-scale attacks, emergency G7+ meetings were repeatedly convened at the initiative of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, where partners were provided with detailed damage maps and a forecast of the load on the system for the coming months.^{4 6}This allows us to translate solidarity from the level of political statements to the level of specific deliveries with defined deadlines.

Toronto and the first purely "energy" G7 statement

An important stage in the G7's sustained involvement in Ukraine's energy issue was the G7 Energy Ministers' Summit in Toronto in the fall of 2025.³For the first time in history, the G7 adopted a separate joint statement entirely dedicated to Ukraine's energy security and the consequences of Russian aggression for global energy markets.^{3 4}In this document, the ministers directly recognized the heroism of Ukrainian energy workers restoring facilities under fire, and confirmed their readiness to further strengthen the protection of energy infrastructure, cooperate with the IAEA on nuclear safety, and support Ukrainian reforms in the sector.^{3 4}.

According to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Svitlana Hrynchuk, this step became a political signal: Ukraine's energy sector ceased to be perceived as an "industry" issue and became a key element of European and global security.^{3 4}Since then, G7+ meetings have systematically discussed not only urgent supplies of equipment and fuel, but also medium- and long-term investments in system modernization, integration with European markets, and the development of “green” generation in Ukraine.^{3 5}.

Lists of urgent needs: what Ukraine is asking the G7 for right now

In parallel with the political statements, the Ukrainian government recorded in writing the specific needs of the energy sector and submitted them to the G7 countries for detailed consideration.^{6 7}Minister Grinchuk names among the priorities: additional air and missile defense systems to protect critical infrastructure, electronic warfare means, passive fortification solutions (shelters, protective casings for equipment), as well as increasing the production of energy equipment - both new and used, capable of promptly replacing destroyed equipment.^{6 7}.

A separate block concerns the import of additional volumes of gas and the supply of transformers, mobile substations, generators and energy storage systems to ensure power supply to critical infrastructure in the event of prolonged outages.^{4 6}After Russia's combined strikes on thermal power plants, hydroelectric power plants, gas and rail infrastructure, which caused significant damage to the transmission system and logistics, this assistance has become not just a matter of comfort, but a matter of survival: without electricity and heat, defense, the economy and basic humanitarian services become vulnerable.^{4 6}.

Air shield for energy: active and passive defense

At the heart of the new G7+ statement is the wording on strengthening “active and passive air defense” of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure^{1 2}Active defense is air defense and missile defense systems that shoot down missiles and drones before they reach stations and substations: from Patriot and SAMP/T to NASAMS, IRIS-T and mobile short-range SAMs^{2 8}Passive – these are protective structures around the equipment, deepening of cable lines, physical separation of system elements, masking and use of energy “islands” capable of operating autonomously in the event of disconnection from the unified network.^{4 6}.

Representatives of the Ministry of Energy emphasize that passive protection has already proven its effectiveness: where transformers and switchgear are sheltered, the number of nodes disabled after massive attacks is noticeably lower.^{6 7}. However, the scale of the country and the depth of the destruction make complete coverage of the entire infrastructure impossible without external support. Therefore, the G7+ in its statements and decisions is trying to combine two lines: to transfer additional air defense batteries and, in parallel, to finance "grounded" protection - concrete, metal and engineering solutions that reduce the vulnerability of objects even in the event of a breakthrough by missiles and drones^{1 3}.

From centralized giants to a decentralized network

One of the key ideas that the G7+ has consistently supported over the past two years is Ukraine's transition from the dominance of large thermal and hydroelectric power plants to a more decentralized model with a large number of local generation sources.^{1 3}. Massive attacks on large nodes have shown that several points of vulnerability can simultaneously deprive millions of consumers of electricity. Therefore, the G7+ documents refer to support for small and medium-sized power plants, the development of renewable energy, cogeneration, energy storage systems, and the modernization of distribution networks, which must learn to work with more complex, “distributed” generation.^{1 3}.

Some of these approaches have already been recorded in the joint “clean energy” statement of the G7+ and Ukraine in 2024, where the partners committed to accelerating assistance in repairing damaged generation and networks, supporting Ukraine’s integration into the European energy system ENTSO-E, and promoting the development of “green” energy as an element of future reconstruction.^{9 10}For Ukrainians, this means that in parallel with the healing of wounds, the energy system must undergo structural changes – and the G7 is ready to invest not only in “quick fixes”, but also in long-term reconfiguration.

Russian strikes as a terror strategy: assessment of international structures

The UN, EU, G7 and human rights organizations have repeatedly stated that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure are systemic and directly target the civilian population.^{7 11}Reports from international missions record: strikes on thermal power plants, hydroelectric power plants, high-voltage substations and gas infrastructure lead to long-term outages of electricity, heat, water supply and communications, which creates an additional threat to people's lives, especially in winter.^{7 11}In some cases, the attacks also posed risks to the stable operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants due to voltage fluctuations and emergency shutdowns of power units from the grid.⁷.

From a legal perspective, such strikes are considered possible war crimes, as they have no direct military necessity and are aimed at causing maximum damage to civilian infrastructure.^{7 11}It is this context that makes the G7+ statements important not only as a promise of equipment, but also as a political framework: the world’s leading democracies publicly recognize Russia’s energy war against Ukraine and take responsibility to help the country survive it.^{1 3}.

The financial side of the issue: from equipment to large support packages

In addition to the purely energy format of the G7+, the G7 finance ministers recently confirmed their position, who, at a separate meeting in December 2025, emphasized "unwavering support for Ukraine" and the need to provide the country with financial resources for network repairs, heat supply, water supply, and humanitarian aid.^{5 14}Some of these decisions are related to the discussion of large loan and grant packages, including to secure income from frozen Russian assets - so that Ukraine can plan for recovery not just for a few months, but for years ahead.^{5 15}.

For the energy sector, this means that, along with the supply of transformers, generators, and mobile substations, the government is also counting on long-term investment programs: modernization of high-voltage networks, construction of new generating capacities, development of gas storage facilities, deployment of energy storage systems.^{3 10}In this context, coordination between the G7+, the EU, the World Bank, the EBRD and other institutions becomes critical: without agreement on priorities, there is a risk of fragmented assistance that will not be developed into a coherent strategy.

Ukrainian response: reforms, transparency and the role of energy workers

In its statements, the G7+ not only promises assistance, but also emphasizes the importance of continuing energy reforms in Ukraine – from corporate governance to regulatory independence and integration with European markets.^{3 10}Fulfilling obligations within the framework of the Energy Community, implementing OECD standards in state-owned companies, transparent tenders for the purchase of equipment - all this is part of the "homework" on which the trust of donors depends.^{3 10}For Kyiv, this is a painful but necessary process: in wartime, the temptation to “postpone reform until victory” is high, but the partners are clearly making it clear that they are ready to invest in a system that is becoming more stable and transparent.

At the same time, international partners in their documents constantly pay tribute to Ukrainian energy workers, who for the third winter in a row have kept the country afloat under shelling.^{3 4}. Their work – from emergency crews on power lines to TPP personnel and Ukrenergo dispatchers – has become a symbol of quiet resilience, without which neither the front, nor hospitals, nor schools would work. The fact that the G7 is bringing this role into official statements is important both for internal motivation and for further attracting resources to protect and modernize the energy sector.^{3 4}.

What the new G7+ statement means for Ukrainians this winter

On a practical level, the latest G7+ statement means two things. First, Ukraine can count on continued supplies of equipment and fuel to get through this winter – taking into account the damage already done and possible further damage.^{1 2}Secondly, energy is finally being established as one of the central priorities of international support: in addition to military aid, financial packages and humanitarian aid, a separate, systemic energy “axis” is being added, where Ukraine has a voice in shaping the agenda.^{1 3}.

This does not mean that the outages will disappear overnight: the scale of the destruction, the complexity of the network and limited resources make the winter of 2025-2026 likely one of the most difficult in the entire period of full-scale war.^{7 11}. But every additional transformer, every air defense battery, every covered distribution point is an hour of warmth and light that Ukrainian cities and villages will be able to repel from the Russian missile campaign. And in this sense, the G7+'s readiness to "contribute to strengthening Ukraine's energy sector" is not about general formulations, but about the very specific right of people to light, warmth, and a decent life even during war.

Sources

1. Global Affairs Canada: Statement of the Co-Chairs of the G7+ Ukraine Energy Coordination Group.
2. UNN / UATV: G7+ Coordination Group ready to help strengthen protection of Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
3. EEAS / G7+: Joint Statement on Ukraine Energy Sector Support.
4. Ministry of Energy of Ukraine: Strengthening Air Defense to Protect Energy Facilities – G7+ Emergency Meeting.
5. Ministry of Energy of Ukraine: Special G7+ Meeting on Energy Support for Ukraine Held.
6. UNN: Ukraine handed over to G7 countries a list of priority needs for the energy sector.
7. OHCHR: Attacks on Ukraine's Energy Infrastructure – Harm to the Civilian Population.
8. Euronews / international media: Ukraine's FM presses G7 for support as Russia targets energy grid.
9. UK Government: Clean Energy Partnership – G7+ and Ukraine joint statement 2024.
10. FP Analytics: Investing in Energy Security – analytics on the vulnerability of Ukraine's energy system.
11. National and international media: reports on the consequences of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and support measures.