Ukraine will receive U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) this winter via Greece.
According to AFP and others on the 16th (local time), Ukraine state energy corporations Naftogaz and Greece's largest gas public corporations DEPA Commercial said in a joint statement that they had "signed an agreement to supply natural gas to Ukraine from December to March 2026."
Attending the agreement signing ceremony were Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former girlfriend of Donald Trump's eldest son, Trump Jr., who has taken up the post of the new U.S. ambassador to Greece.
Mitsotakis said, "Relations between the two countries are entering a significant new dimension through a robust new energy artery that runs from south to north, from Greece to Ukraine."
This is Zelenskyy's first visit to Greece since 2023. After Greece, Zelenskyy plans to travel to France and Spain to discuss Ukraine's defense and energy support measures.
Ahead of the Greece visit, Zelenskyy also said on Telegram on the morning of the same day that "we will raise about 2 billion euros (about 3 trillion won) in funds for gas imports needed to compensate for Ukraine's production losses caused by Russia's attacks."
Ukraine is a natural gas producer, but its gas storage or extraction facilities have been bombed by Russia or are located in areas occupied by Russian forces, causing gas output to plunge. As a result, securing imported gas is essential to meet winter heating demand.
Meanwhile, Greece has been importing Russian gas and reselling it to neighboring countries. But as the European Union (EU) decided to ban imports of Russian gas entirely starting in 2027, Greece is increasing U.S. imports. According to Reuters, Greece agreed with the United States on the 7th to import 700 million cubic meters of U.S. LNG annually starting in 2030. Supply will be carried out through a company jointly established by DEPA and energy corporations Aktor with U.S. Venture Global.
U.S. Energy Minister Chris Wright, during a recent visit to Greece, said, "Greece used to be the end of an energy supply chain dominated by Russia," and "but today it will become the gateway for U.S. energy trade into Europe."