"Warmth for Ukraine": Sybiha urges people worldwide to follow Poland's example

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called on people around the world to organise fundraising efforts to support Ukrainians amid the collapse of the country's energy system.

Appealing to the Ukrainian diaspora and "partners, friends and benefactors worldwide", Sybiha urged them to help Ukraine get through the winter amid extreme cold and an increasingly difficult situation in the energy system, which has been devastated by Russian strikes.

"Warmth for Ukraine from the World. Today, I instructed all our foreign diplomatic missions to initiate urgent fundraising campaigns similar to the one recently conducted by our Polish friends," Sybiha said on X, recalling that nearly US$1 million has been donated to the Polish fundraiser for Kyiv.

"I call upon all compassionate people worldwide – all our friends, communities, civil society, parliaments, regional and local politicians, opinion leaders, the media and other groups – to respond to this appeal.

This assistance is urgently needed. It will go towards purchasing equipment, electricity, power supplies and all forms of energy directly for Ukrainians and the communities in need."

Sybiha noted that such support gives Ukrainians a sense that they have not been left alone at this time of hardship and that Russia will not succeed in breaking their will to resist by such methods, as the result will be greater unity in support of Ukraine.

Sybiha has also thanked the Poles, who have already raised over PLN 3 million (around US$825,000) to buy generators for Kyiv and have increased the campaign target as more donations continue to pour in.

On 17 January, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following a meeting with Oleh Ivashchenko, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, said that Russia is preparing to carry out further strikes on Ukraine's energy system and infrastructure, including facilities that service nuclear power plants.