On February 18, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mariana Betsa held a meeting with the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, Auke Lootsma.

The meeting focused on ways to enhance UNDP’s response to the crisis in the energy sector caused by the Russian Federation’s attacks on Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure, following up on the agreements reached during the meeting between Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha and UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo on 13 February 2026 on the margins of the Munich Security Conference.

“UNDP remains one of Ukraine’s key partners in recovery and resilience-building efforts. We particularly value your work aimed at restoring Ukraine’s energy system, which continues to be targeted by daily Russian attacks. I sincerely thank UNDP and all donors whose support since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion has helped mobilize over USD 1 billion for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction during these extremely challenging times,” Mariana Betsa stated.

The parties discussed in detail priority steps to further engage UNDP mechanisms in response efforts in Ukraine, as well as the near-term implementation of several important initiatives.