Ukraine and Greece have signed a deal Sunday for the war-torn country to import US-supplied liquefied natural gas over the winter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday during a visit to Athens on Sunday.
“I am grateful to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to the team, to the companies, and to everyone who is helping to make such agreements possible and to ensure we can implement them,” Zelensky said on social media after meeting the Greek premier in Athens.
Deliveries will begin in January, the Ukrainian president said. The deal between Greek national gas company DEPA Commercial and Ukraine’s Naftogaz “is an essential contribution to regional security and energy resilience”, a Greek government source told AFP.
The news agency said the supply deal is set to run through to the end of March, again citing Greek officials.
Zelensky had said earlier in the day that Ukraine would import gas from Greece to meet its winter fuel needs, with Russia striking directly at the country’s energy infrastructure at the onset of winter.
The Trans-Balkan gas pipeline network connects Ukraine to Greek LNG terminals
Bombing campaign
In October, Moscow launched its biggest bombing campaign against Ukrainian gas facilities since the start of the 2022 invasion, halting 60 percent of production of the main source of heating fuel.
“We have already prepared an agreement with Greece on supplying gas to Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
The Ukrainian leader added Kyiv had also secured financing agreements to cover “nearly two billion euros” ($2.32 billion) of production losses caused by the Russian strikes.
The funding comes from the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian banks, the European Investment Bank, and Norway.
Overtures to Baku
In addition to its European and US allies, the Ukrainian president said he was working “actively” with Azerbaijan and hopes to conclude “long-term contracts” for gas imports from the former Soviet republic.
Zelensky’s announcement came as he kicked off a whistle-stop tour of Europe that will include visits to France and Spain.
Last winter, Russian bombing had already halved national gas production, according to the government. The first systematic attacks against Ukraine’s energy network began in late 2022, causing widespread power outages and plunging millions of people into darkness and cold during freezing temperatures.
Updated to include details of meeting with Greek premier and fresh statements from Zelensky.
(rh)
