Rubio Urged to Condemn Russia’s ‘Senseless’ Attacks on Ukraine’s Energy Sector

WASHINGTON, DC, April 4 ------ A bipartisan group of US lawmakers led by Congressman Bill Keating (D-MA) and Bill Huizenga (R-MI) introduced a bill early this week to urge the administration of President Donald Trump to take on Russian malign influence in the nuclear energy sector in Europe. 

The draft bill, called The US-European Nuclear Energy Cooperation Act of 2025, exclusively obtained by Kyiv Post on Wednesday, also requires the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to strengthen US-European cooperation and to combat Russian attacks on energy sites. The bill highlights that Russia uses its nuclear power plant designs and fuel services to spread malign influence and threaten US and European energy security. 

The Kremlin, in its war against Ukraine, has systematically targeted the country’s energy infrastructure through heavy shelling and targeted attacks, particularly in the winter months when innocent Ukrainian civilians are most vulnerable. “Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and in particular its nuclear power plants – make clear that we must continue to support Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression,” Congressman Keating, a leading member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Kyiv Post. He went on to add, “For more than three years, the United States has stood with Ukraine and supported the restoration of Ukraine’s energy grid. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has cancelled this assistance to Ukraine’s energy sector, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to Russian strikes and weakening Ukraine’s position at the negotiating table.” 

According to the draft bill, the security of Ukraine’s energy grid has been vital to the country’s success in the defense of its territory and ensuring the Ukrainian government can effectively provide goods and services to Ukrainian citizens. Ukraine has operated four nuclear power plants with 15 reactors, primarily Russian-designed water-cooled energetic reactors, and remains dependent on nuclear power for its energy security. Since March 2022, Russian forces have illegally occupied the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, and Russian forces have surrounded the station with landmines, further threatening regional security. The authors of the bill urged the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, to develop a strategy to tackle Russian malign influence in Europe’s nuclear energy sector. 

In the meantime, as Secretary Marco Rubio is currently headed to Brussels for a gathering of top diplomats from NATO countries, Keating pushed the top US diplomat to seize the opportunity while meeting with Alliance colleagues to call out Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy sites. “At the upcoming NATO Ministerial, Secretary Rubio must condemn Russia for these senseless attacks and restart vital support for Ukraine’s energy sector,” he told Kyiv Post. 

Source: kyivpost.com