During a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Wednesday, Ukraine presented an adapted Annual National Program for the next year, and the allies endorsed it. Five senior Russian officials killed in a strike in Kherson region. Ukraine reports power deficit on Wednesday.
At NATO-Ukraine Council meeting, Ukraine presents reform plan for next year, allies endorse it
During a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Wednesday, Ukraine presented an adapted Annual National Program for the next year, and the allies endorsed it, the Council said in a statement.
“I’m actually impressed by Ukraine’s commitment to implement reforms to modernize their society in the midst of a full-scale war,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference after the meeting. “We agreed on the work program and sub-structure under committees under the NATO-Ukraine Council to ensure that we follow up concretely on the reforms,” he added.
NATO’s foreign ministers endorsed Ukraine’s “ambitious work programme for 2024,” the Council said in a statement. “In this context, NATO and Ukraine are already working and taking decisions together, as equals, on a broad range of issues, including interoperability, energy security, innovation, cyber defence, and resilience,” the statement reads.
NATO allies remain steadfast in their commitment to support Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken said as he addressed the media after the meeting.
“Our adversaries are not standing on the sidelines,” he said. “Most of the drones that we’ve seen used in the biggest-ever drone attack on Kyiv just last weekend, those were made and supplied by Iran. North Korea is providing significant arms shipments to Russia.”
“Even as we’re supporting Ukraine’s fight today, we are helping them build a military that is capable of deterring and defending against aggression far into the future,” Blinken said.
“And I have to tell you, listening to all of our colleagues around the table, every single one expressed strong, enduring support for Ukraine. Some are questioning whether the United States and other NATO Allies should continue to stand with Ukraine as we enter the second winter of Putin’s brutality. But the answer here today at NATO is clear and it’s unwavering: we must and we will continue to support Ukraine. Ensuring that Russia’s war of aggression remains a strategic failure is as vital today as when the Kremlin launched that war almost two years ago,” Blinken said.
Five senior Russian officials killed in strike in Kherson region
Five high-ranking Russian officials have been killed in a Ukrainian strike on a building in Yuvileyne village, in an occupied part of Kherson region.
The National Resistance Center of Ukraine said on Telegram that the strike had targeted a meeting of Russian forces in the village of Yuvileyne on Tuesday following “information provided by the underground and concerned local residents”.
“As a result of successful actions, five high-ranking officials are known to have died,” it said.
Ukraine reports power deficit
Energy deficit was reported in Ukraine’s power system at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, November 29. Ukrainian national electricity operator Ukrenergo has called for reduced energy consumption.
The deficit was caused by a steep rise in consumption due to cold weather. Also, power has been restored to thousands of consumers simultaneously after they were cut off from power supply due to bad weather.
Right now, Ukraine does not produce enough electricity to meet the demand. Solar power facilities don’t produce much power during cloudy weather, and there are units at thermoelectric power plants undergoing repair. Ukrenergo said the situation was difficult and warned of possible rolling blackouts.
Ukrenergo has urged residents to cut energy use until 6 p.m., particularly, by turning off energy-intensive appliances.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrenergo said 368 cities and villages in nine regions were without power because of bad weather, and 444 more had lost power due to the fighting or other reasons.
