(L-R) N/C; Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation & Humanitarian Affairs; Natalia Anoshyna, Chargée d'Affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine in Luxembourg;
Credit: MAE Luxembourg
Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade has reported that the Grand Duchy recently delivered demining equipment to Ukraine and announced a contribution to the country's energy sector.
During an official ceremony held on Monday 9 December 2024, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Xavier Bettel, handed over 110 humanitarian demining kits to Ukraine, which was represented by the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine in Luxembourg, Natalia Anoshyna.
The provision of the demining equipment, worth around €1 million, is part of Luxembourg's overall support for humanitarian demining in Ukraine, which is currently the most mined country in the world. The demining kits will be sent to Ukraine through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, with the transport costs covered by the European Commission. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Luxembourg has contributed €15 million to humanitarian demining efforts in Ukraine through projects led by the United Nations Population Fund, the HALO Trust NGO and NATO.
At the ceremony, Minister Bettel also announced a new contribution of €8 million over two years to support Ukraine's energy sector, which is facing an energy crisis following repeated and targeted Russian attacks on its critical energy infrastructure. This support aims to provide energy equipment to schools, hospitals and water and heating infrastructure to meet the most urgent needs, as well as to contribute to Ukraine's long-term energy resilience.
