Romania to import energy from Ukraine amid drought crisis

Romania is set to import electricity from Ukraine to meet its energy needs during peak consumption periods, a move necessitated by a severe drought that has drastically reduced domestic energy production. The announcement came after a phone call between Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sîbiha on Friday.

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Neighbors help each other when possible, and this was the theme of the phone call with Foreign Minister Andrii Sîbiha.

Țoiu explained that the drought's impact on the Danube River has affected Romania's nuclear power generation. The two ministers discussed energy cooperation and the security situation in the Black Sea region. "Neighbors help each other when possible, and this was the theme of the phone call with Foreign Minister Andrii Sîbiha," Țoiu stated on the X platform.

This energy agreement follows previous discussions between Romanian interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal. Romania declared a state of emergency in its energy market on Friday due to the critically low water levels in the Danube, which led to the precautionary shutdown of one of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant's reactors.

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I presented the implications of the severe drought on the Danube on our energy production and we discussed ways to maintain energy supply from Ukraine, based on its production capacity and maintenance schedule.

During the conversation, Țoiu also expressed solidarity with Ukraine over recent Russian attacks and discussed security developments in the Black Sea, including recent drone incursions into Romanian airspace. Both nations are navigating complex energy and security challenges in the region.

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During the conversation, I expressed my solidarity and compassion after another night of barbaric Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and entire families killed.