General

On the 19th, Ukraine officially joined the IEA (International Energy Agency). Ukrainian Energy Minister Galushenko and IEA Director Birol signed a joint statement.

According to the IEA official website, at the ceremony held in Warsaw, Poland, Galushenko and Birol signed a joint association declaration, opening a new chapter in the long-term partnership between the IEA and Ukraine to deepen and expand the two sides in Ukraine's energy security, clean energy work on transformation and post-war reconstruction efforts. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Polish Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa.

On June 16, the IEA Board of Governors approved Ukraine as the IEA's 11th Association State, reflecting the agency's stance on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The decision of the IEA Council underscores Ukraine's important role in its energy security efforts and the IEA's support for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction efforts.

Birol said: “The IEA has worked with Ukraine for nearly two decades, and in this particularly challenging period following the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the IEA is further strengthening its relationship with Ukraine to support Ukraine’s major reconstruction needs and help it in New prospects for energy security.”

Birol believes that Ukraine plays an important role in energy security in Europe and beyond. And to increase energy trade with Europe and transition to cleaner energy, Ukraine has set ambitious goals. Birol said he was pleased to sign a joint statement with Galluschenko to expand the IEA's cooperation to achieve these goals in Ukraine.

Galushenko said: "In a special period, as a candidate country for EU membership, Ukraine is ready to play an active role in strengthening the EU's energy security."

The joint statement noted that Ukraine and the IEA intend to cooperate in developing policies and building capacity in a wide range of energy-related fields, including market analysis, energy system reconstruction, energy security, efficiency, accelerated energy transition, hydrogen and biomethane, and energy data and statistics. Specific initiatives will be agreed in a two-year joint work plan.

The IEA has a long history with Ukraine. Since 2007, the IAEA has conducted four in-depth policy reviews in Kyiv and Odessa, and organized policy events and energy data capacity building. The agency works closely with Ukraine through the European Commission's EU4Energy programme. Recently, the IEA also completed a roadmap on how Ukraine can take advantage of energy demand constraints, a topic that has been a priority for the Ukrainian government.

The IEA Association Framework allows the IEA to deepen collaboration with its partner countries, sharing analysis, data and best practices. Ukraine is the 11th association country of the IEA. Today, all IEA member countries account for 75% of global energy demand.

Tonight, Birol will hold a trilateral meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Ukrainian energy ministers and Polish energy ministers. Later in the day, Birol, Galushenko, Moskova and U.S. Department of Energy Undersecretary David Turk will participate in a live-streamed panel discussion on energy security.