ATHENS(National Times)- Greece signed a deal with Ukraine on Sunday to supply US-origin liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the war-battered country whose energy infrastructure has been crippled by Russian strikes. The agreement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Athens at the start of a European tour aimed at shoring up his country’s defences and energy supply, as it enters another gruelling winter nearly four years into Russia’s invasion. Exhausted and outnumbered Ukrainian troops are struggling to fend off Russian forces, and both sides have been attacking each other’s energy infrastructure power stations and oil refineries as the war drags on with no sign of peace talks. 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. Guilfoyle visited Zelensky at the Ukrainian embassy in Athens on Sunday, the state-run ERTNEWS tv channel reported. “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. Most European Union countries recently approved a ban on imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027, a decision aimed at hitting Russia’s funding for the war.

WINTER ‘A HUGE CHALLENGE’

Mitsotakis also pledged Greek support for Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction and to deepening defence cooperation, according to a joint declaration. They plan on “enhancing security in the maritime domain, including cooperation on the development and deployment of maritime (sea) UAVs, joint exercises and training related to unmanned maritime systems, and enhanced information-sharing on maritime threats.” The Ukrainian president expressed gratitude to US President Donald 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 to visit France and Spain on his tour, called the agreement 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 first visit to Greece since 2023 follows the recent announcement of major energy projects in Greece, supported by the United States. Greek authorities plan to cooperate with US companies to increase the flow of American liquefied natural gas to Greek terminals. Greece is “the natural gateway for American liquefied natural gas to replace Russian gas in the region,” Mitsotakis said at a conference this month 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.