site.btaGreece and Ukraine Sign Declaration to Transit US LNG via Bulgaria

Greece's state-owned natural gas company DEPA Emporias and Ukraines Naftogaz signed on Sunday in Athens a Declaration of Intent aimed at securing the transit of United States liquefied natural gas from Greece to Ukraine from December 2025 to March 2026, reported the Greek television channel Skai.

The declaration was signed before a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which would take place in Athens later in the day.

Before arriving in Greece, Zelenskyy estimated the value of the deal at about EUR 2 billion.

The two companies said in a statement that the declaration has a decisive contribution to regional and European energy security and resilience and provides support for Ukraine during a difficult winter. According to the statement, Greece's energy infrastructure ensures stable transmission of natural gas along the length of the Vertical Gas Corridor.

Under the future agreement, it is planned to transit quantities of liquefied natural gas from the United States through Route 1, which is jointly provided by the transmission system operators of Greece (DESFA), Bulgaria (Bulgartransgaz), Romania (Transgaz), Moldova (VestMolTransgaz), and Ukraine (GTSOU).

The signing at the residence of the Greek prime minister was also attended by US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and Greece's Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou.

President Zelenskyy began his visit to Greece on Sunday with a meeting with the country's President Konstantinos Tasoulas, Skai television reported. During the talks, the Ukrainian President thanked Greece for its support in the energy sector and for its support for Ukraine's European path. "We are grateful that you stand by us in this area as well and that you support us," Zelenskyy said.

Tasoulas, for his part, emphasized that from the first moment of the unprovoked Russian invasion, Greece stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and supported it in its struggle to defend its territorial integrity, freedom, and peace.

Emerging from a separate session with Zelenskyy, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that for his country the inviolability of borders is not subject to negotiation, and he drew a parallel between the situation in Ukraine and the occupation of Northern Cyprus by Turkiye, reported the Greek state television channel ERT.

"We stand beside the Ukrainian people. Greece supported the side that is defending itself against a bloody military operation that violates every notion of sovereignty and legality," Mitsotakis said at a joint press conference with the Ukrainian President.

"In Greece you will find an unshakeable ally. We stood in support of Ukraine's European path, to which we are ready to contribute," the Greek Prime Minister continued. He also promised Greece's support for Ukraine's postwar reconstruction.

The Ukrainian President called for pressure on Russia to continue. He also thanked Greece for its support for Ukraine's European path.