"Challenging, but not catastrophic": EU ambassador shares winter electricity outage forecasts

The European Union believes that Ukraine, with its energy system battered by attacks, faces a difficult winter, but the situation will not be catastrophic.

Katarína Mathernová, Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, was asked in an interview with European Pravda how hard European colleagues expect winter to be for Ukraine and what the worst-case scenario might be.

"I would certainly expect that there are going to be some blackouts. But from all the discussions that I’ve been having and the scenarios that we have had, the situation is not going to be catastrophic. It’s going to be difficult, it’s not going to be a pleasant winter," Mathernová replied.

She said the most vulnerable areas are Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa, as well as other cities with centralised heating systems.

Mathernová was also asked about concerns that the situation with electricity and heating could become so dire that it might force millions of Ukrainians to flee to Europe, and whether the EU is preparing for such a catastrophic scenario.

"I was expressing my hope that we are not going to a catastrophic scenario, but there is no question we will have a difficult winter. And I will be here, so I will live it first-hand.

The EU, I think, has proven its ability to adjust and provide support, whether it was to millions of refugees that cross the border or through the temporary protection directive first time ever invoked and put in place to allow people to earn a living and have a decent life while they're waiting for return to Ukraine. Yes, we are looking at the various scenarios, and I think we will be prepared," Mathernová said.

Watch the full interview with Katarína Mathernová about winter preparations in Ukraine, funding for weapons, and the country's EU membership.