EXCLUSIVE-US plans $550 million in aid for Ukraine and Moldova’s energy security

By Arshad Mohammad

Feb 24 (Reuters) – The United States is expected to announce on Friday $250 million in aid to bolster Ukraine’s energy infrastructure against Russian attacks and $300 million for Moldova, in part to help Chisinau recover wean off energy dependence on Russia.

The aid, described in draft documents seen by Reuters, is expected to be announced by U.S. Agency for International Development administrator Samantha Power on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers on both sides have been killed and millions have fled their homes since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, sparking Europe’s largest ground war since the Second World War.

Russia, which has failed to score a quick victory in what it calls a “special operation” to demilitarize and “denazify” its neighbor, has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in what Western officials view it as an effort to undermine Ukrainian morale in the bloody ground war. .

“The United States government remains committed to assisting the Ukrainian government in maintaining the stability and functioning of its electrical system in a scenario of relentless and brutal attacks on critical infrastructure by Russian forces,” reads a draft document describing $250 million in aid to Ukraine. .

The $300 million for Moldova includes $80 million in budget support to offset high electricity prices, $135 million for power generation projects and $85 million to improve its capacity to s to supply energy from alternative sources, according to a second project. .

“This aid will help Moldova meet the urgent needs created by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war, while building towards long-term energy resilience and stronger interconnections with Europe,” the second document says.

Moldova, a former Soviet republic of 2.5 million people neighboring Ukraine to the west, is one of Europe’s poorest countries and has traditionally been heavily dependent on Russian gas.

The money comes from a $45 billion pool for Ukraine included in a broader spending bill passed by Congress last year. According to US budget procedures, Congress has 15 days after notification from the government to consider planned spending.

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Patricia Zengerle; editing in Spanish by Benjamín Mejías Valencia)