TÁNAISTE MICHEÁL MARTIN has warned that Russia will seek to “freeze the people” of Ukraine by “bombing energy installations and infrastructure” this winter. 

Martin is in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv for the meeting of the EU’s foreign affairs ministers and earlier reaffirmed Ireland’s support for Ukraine. 

During his visit to Kyiv, Martin again voiced his support for Ukraine’s bid to gain accession to the EU.

Meanwhile, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell today said that “Ukraine’s future lies within the EU.”

In an interview with The Journal in Kyiv, Martin said the “next big agenda is how do we protect Ukrainian energy infrastructure for the winter”.

Around this time last year, Russian strikes began to target Ukraine’s power infrastructure.

Western officials at the time described the targeted strikes as a Russian campaign to weaponise the coming winter cold.

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last year said that Russia “is willing to use extreme brutality and leave Ukraine cold and dark this winter. So we must stay the course and help Ukraine prevail as a sovereign nation.”

Speaking to The Journal today in Kyiv, Martin said “people are conscious of what happened last year”.

“Yes, there has been some degree of recovery insofar as there was reconstruction of some of the energy infrastructure but a lot is still damaged,” warned Martin.

“Russia will want to freeze the people by bombing energy installations and infrastructure and substations, all that kind of thing.

“So I think there’s a lot of people talking around how to protect Ukraine from that aerial assault during the wintertime, that’s the most immediate question.” 

-With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper