Ukraine secures US LNG via Greece to cover winter energy needs
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Ukraine will import US LNG via Greece from January to March to offset shortages caused by the war.
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Gas burns in front of a business center damaged by a Russian attack in Kharkov, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024 (AP)
Ukraine has secured US liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Greece to cover its winter energy needs from December through March, Greek and Ukrainian officials announced on Sunday during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Athens.
The gas will be transported via a pipeline crossing the Balkan Peninsula to ensure critical supplies following Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and gas production facilities.
Greek gas company DEPA and Ukraine’s state firm Naftogaz said in a joint statement that the agreement takes effect in December, with deliveries set to begin in January.
“We rebuild each time the Russians destroy, but this truly requires time, effort, equipment, and, in terms of gas, imports to compensate for the destruction of our own production by the Russians,” Zelesnky told reporters alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Ahead of his visit, Zelesnky said the Ukrainian government had allocated funds for gas imports from European partners and banks under European Commission guarantees, as well as from domestic banks, to cover nearly €2 billion ($2.3 billion). He added that Ukraine was also coordinating with US partners to ensure full financing.
Greece secures first long-term deal to supply US LNG to Europe
The agreement comes after Greece secured its first long-term deal to supply US LNG to Europe starting in 2030, following the EU’s decision to ban Russian LNG from 2027 due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. “Greece is becoming an energy security provider for your homeland,” Mitsotakis told Zelesnky, noting that the deal would also help prevent Russian natural gas from reaching Europe.
In early November 2025, Ukraine’s energy network once again bore the brunt of a large‑scale assault by Russia, with attack drones and missiles heavily damaging gas production and associated facilities. According to the state company Naftogaz, in the past two months alone, there have been nine separate attacks on gas infrastructure.
One of the most intense strikes occurred overnight into November 8, when Ukrainian officials reported more than 450 drones and 45 missiles targeted gas extraction and processing units in the Kharkov and Poltava regions.
The damage has been severe. In several regions, gas production has been disrupted and heating provision threatened, at a moment when many homes and public buildings rely on those supplies. Energy workers described an “endless race” to restore operations, patching broken pipelines, repairing processing plants, switching to backup systems, often working under the looming threat of the next wave of attacks.
