President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on European partners to provide Ukraine with equipment from shutdown European power plants and provide direct financial support for the functioning of the Ukrainian energy sector.

"Ukraine is now suffering from the most destructive form of the Russian vision of energy - as a weapon. As a result of Russian missile and drone strikes, 9 GW of our power have already been destroyed. Despite the fact that the peak energy consumption in Ukraine last winter was 18 GW. So half now does not exist," the president said, speaking at the opening of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin.

"But the numbers themselves do not sound. What is 9 GW? Berlin is about 2 GW of consumption. Munich is somewhere up to 3 GW. We have already lost many times more generation than the amount of energy consumed in large cities," he added, noting that 80% of thermal generation in Ukraine and a third of hydroelectric generation were simply destroyed by Putin.

According to Zelenskyy, "this is not the end of his terror, but we must draw the line and begin energy restoration. We must do everything possible and impossible in order to preserve the existing generation and restore the lost as much as possible."

This task is important not only from the Ukrainian perspective, the president said.

Thus, Zelenskyy noted, "Putin is trying to sharpen the practice of destroying energy facilities with strikes on Ukraine - from conventional thermal power plants and dams to such elements of the energy system as gas storage facilities and interconnectors that connect our energy system with the European one, therefore all the equipment is restored, repaired and protected now on Ukrainian territory will bring double results."

"It will serve Ukraine and Europe. Serve as the basis - the energy basis over the next decades... Ukraine has the entire natural basis for modern energy. But without your (European) lending and investment, we will not be able to realize this. And here it goes not about grants, but about highly profitable investments for your companies. About the market for your equipment. About loan programs for your institutions. All this together with us will create a new energy foundation. At least tens of thousands of new jobs will provide both us and you with tangible economic growth," he emphasized.

In the near future, Zelenskyy noted, "we must implement a quick and inexpensive restoration of all energy facilities that can now be restored. Before winter. This is so important. Before winter. Over the next three to four months."

"We know how to ensure this. From you we ask for equipment from your, by the way, shutdown power plants and direct financial support. This will allow us to respond to the situation here and now," the head of state concluded.