German economy minister arrives in Kyiv as Ukraine seeks energy support

By Kirsti Knolle and Maria Martinez

BERLIN, Oct 24 (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche arrived in Kyiv on Friday, highlighting Berlin's efforts to help Ukraine repair its energy infrastructure after recent Russian attacks severely damaged the power grid.

"Ukraine is facing its fourth winter at war, and right now Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy supply, massively endangering electricity and heat provision in the winter," Reiche said in Kyiv, where she arrived with a business delegation.

Reiche's visit comes as Ukraine faces mounting energy challenges, including prolonged outages at key facilities such as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

Urgent assistance is needed for reconstruction and to safeguard the energy supply, Reiche said, pledging to explore on her trip how Germany can provide more concrete and better support in this area.

GERMANY SEEKS TO EXPAND DEFENCE COOPERATION WITH UKRAINE

Apart from preserving and rebuilding Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the focus of the trip will be on expanding German‑Ukrainian defence cooperation.

"Security policy is always also economic policy," Reiche said, adding that she aims to bring German and Ukrainian defence companies closer together.

Reiche's arrival coincides with a summit in London, where Ukraine's allies known as the "Coalition of the Willing" will discuss further military assistance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plans to attend the meeting and has urged European allies to provide long-range weapons after failing to secure a firm commitment from U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, EU leaders in Brussels agreed in principle to bankroll Ukraine for the next two years and discussed using frozen Russian assets to finance a 140 billion euro ($163 billion) loan.

Zelenskiy has called for a rapid decision, saying the funds would help strengthen Ukraine's defence and save lives.