UK Vows to Help Ukraine Reduce Its Dependence on ‘Russian Fuel’

The pledge comes amid growing tensions between the West and Russia over an alleged Russian troop buildup at the Ukrainian border and claims of Moscow preparing for an invasion. The Kremlin vehemently rejects the allegations as unsubstantiated.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has pledged to help Ukraine reduce its reliance on Russian oil and gas by boosting its access to renewable energy technology. Ukraine's energy supply now reportedly includes 15 percent from renewable energy sources, with Kiev saying it wants to hit 25 percent by 2030.

“We can make the most of Britain's leading green innovative technologies such as wind and hydrogen energy so that Ukraine will be able to cut down its dependence on Russian fuel and spur up trade and investment”, Truss wrote in an article for the newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda.

Nord Stream 2 Issue

The British foreign secretary apparently referred to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that is intended to deliver fuel to Europe under the Baltic Sea, a project that was completed in September but is yet to be certified by European and German regulators. Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed on Wednesday that the launch of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline would lead to lower gas prices not only for Europe, but also for Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Kiev asserted that the certification of Nord Stream 2 was a question of whether Russia’s Gazprom, the owner of the project, would be granted a privileged position in the European gas market to the alleged detriment of participants and consumers, as well as of Ukraine as a transit provider for gas. Moscow has repeatedly warned against politicising what it says is a purely economic project.

Foreign Secretary Truss, meanwhile, also noted in her piece that the UK and its NATO allies have “made it clear that any further intrusion into Ukraine will be a grave strategic mistake”.

She pledged that London and Brussels would “offer a robust response against any such steps including coordinated sanctions to deal a heavy blow on Russia's interests and economy”.

The promise comes amid growing tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine, with the US and its allies claiming that Moscow is amassing troops on the border with its immediate neighbour and possibly preparing to invade.

Moscow, which dismisses the allegations as “propaganda” and fear mongering, underscores that it has the right to relocate troops within its sovereign territory at its own discretion, adding that NATO's military activity near Russia's borders poses a threat to its national security. The Ukraine issue is expected to be high on the agenda of the Russian-US ministerial talks in Geneva scheduled for 10 January.