Europe’s largest cities will donate generators and transformers to Ukraine as part of a joint campaign. It comes as temperatures start to drop and Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The “Generators of Hope” initiative was launched on Wednesday by European Parliament Presidents Roberta Metsola and Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence and President of Eurocities, a network of more than 200 major European cities, to provide supplying energy to essential facilities in the country. including hospitals, schools, water stations, relief centers, shelters and telephone poles.
“The European Parliament and the EU have shown considerable solidarity with Ukraine on the humanitarian, military and financial fronts. Now they need practical support to get through the winter,” Metsola said at Wednesday’s press conference. “I call on all cities, towns and regions across Europe to join the Maker of Hope campaign.”
“As Mayor, my colleagues and I know the importance of local services,” Nardella said. “By issuing this direct call to action for cities to come together to help Ukraine by donating generators and transformers, we can help ensure that Ukrainian cities will be able to manage their daily lives in the best possible way.”
“We must act now. Winter is approaching, there’s no electricity or gas, no time to waste,” Nardella added.
Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was online who participated in the launch, said Ukraine is “proud that Europeans and their institutions” are “stand with Ukraine in responding to tactics Russian terrorism against Ukrainian civilians.”
