The China Mail - Ukraine signs deal with Greece for winter deliveries of US gas

The agreement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Athens at the start of a European tour aimed at shoring up Kyiv's defences and energy supply, as it faces another gruelling winter nearly four years into Russia's invasion.

Exhausted and outnumbered Ukrainian troops are struggling to fend off a larger Russian army, and both sides have been attacking each other's energy infrastructure as the war drags on, with peace talks deadlocked despite US President Donald Trump's push for a truce.

Greece's national gas company DEPA Commercial and its Ukrainian counterpart Naftogaz announced the deal, which will run from December 2025 until March 2026, following a meeting between Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The agreement "marks an essential step in strengthening regional energy cooperation and European energy security", according to a joint statement.

The deal, signed at a ceremony attended by US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, will make it possible to "support Ukraine in the midst of a difficult winter", Mitsotakis and Zelensky said.

"Relations between our countries are taking on a crucial new dimension: that of a new secure energy artery, stretching from south to north, from Greece to Ukraine," Mitsotakis said.

He called the deal a "decisive step toward definitive energy independence from Russian gas" -- a key goal for Europe, which has struggled to wean itself off imports.

A majority of European Union countries recently gave the green light to ban imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027, a decision aimed at drying up a major source of funding for Moscow's war in Ukraine.

- Winter 'a huge challenge' -

Mitsotakis also pledged Greek support for Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction.

The Ukrainian president expressed his gratitude to Trump "for the fact that we will be able to receive natural gas not only from Greece, but also (US gas) via Greece".

Zelensky, who is also due to visit France and Spain on his tour, described the agreement as "extremely important" because it constitutes "a significant part of the comprehensive energy package we have prepared for this winter".

The approaching winter poses "a huge challenge... for the Ukrainian people", he said.

"Practically every night now, the Russians are striking our infrastructure, especially our energy infrastructure," he said.

"Most of Ukraine's power plants, our gas production facilities and our thermal power plants have become targets."

Zelensky's visit, his first since 2023, follows recent announcements of major energy projects in Greece, supported by the United States.

The Greek authorities plan to cooperate more closely with US companies to increase the flow of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Greek terminals.

Greece is "the natural gateway for American liquefied natural gas to replace Russian gas in the region," Mitsotakis said earlier this month at a conference in Athens hosted by the United States.

The recent launch of a Trans-Adriatic pipeline connecting Greece and Bulgaria has enabled the country to contribute to a "vertical" corridor delivering gas towards Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia.

The opening of storage infrastructure at the port of Alexandroupolis, near the Greek-Turkish border and where American LNG arrives, has also helped undermine Russia's market in the region.

J.Liv--ThChM