Ukraine boasts of a newly acquired batch of American LNG, which is set to arrive for the first time via the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda. Ukraine also plans to import LNG from the US through a German LNG terminal. Will Ukraine finally manage to break free from Russian gas and shift to American LNG?
Ukrainian Naftogaz proudly announces that it has organized the supply of American liquefied natural gas to Ukraine through the terminal at the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda for the first time.
In partnership with the Lithuanian holding company Ignitis Group, the delivery of 90 million cubic meters of LNG from the US has been secured. Naftogaz will independently transport the gas to Ukraine in February-March, stated Naftogaz CEO Sergei Koretsky. He added that the company has also recently begun importing liquefied gas through a terminal in Germany.
These are not the first attempts by Ukraine to start purchasing LNG from the US as a substitute for Russian gas. Back in 2017, Kyiv made initial attempts to supply gas from the Polish LNG terminal in Świnoujście. In December 2024, Ukraine spoke of purchasing a batch of LNG through Greece.
Now, discussions are underway about deliveries through the LNG terminal in Germany and further via Polish territory and the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda.
However, all these narratives share a common thread. Reports of purchasing American LNG through a third country surface at best once a year—and that’s as far as it goes. For several months, while the LNG tanker is en route to the maritime terminal, Ukraine keeps up interest and boasts about its success. But actual purchases on a consistent basis have yet to materialize. Moreover, it remains unclear whether this American gas truly reaches Ukrainian territory.
“Indeed, Ukraine periodically purchases American LNG. However, this is purely a PR stunt that Ukrainians regularly repeat. Typically, Ukraine pompously announces a gas purchase, then that a tanker has arrived in some country, but after that, the information abruptly halts. Because they are not delivering this gas to the territory of Ukraine,”
– says Igor Yushkov, an expert at the National Energy Security Fund and the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
According to him, the process unfolds as follows: “Naftogaz acquires American-origin LNG from traders and then resells it to neighboring countries. The physical molecules of American gas do not reach Ukraine because it is economically unfeasible. Why bring this gas in when you can purchase other gas at a better price? The main volumes of imported gas enter Ukraine through Hungary and Slovakia, which buy Russian gas via the ‘Turkish Stream’. Thus, Ukraine effectively repurchases the same Russian-origin gas,” says Yushkov.
Part of the imported gas also arrives in Ukraine via Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova through the Trans-Balkan pipeline to the Odessa region, plus small volumes come from Poland through the LNG terminal, the expert adds.
“I believe that almost all the gas purchased by Ukraine is Russian, which enters European countries via the ‘Turkish Stream’, apart from the gas that comes from Poland. Through the Poles, Ukrainians can make additional LNG purchases. Everything coming from the south also likely has a Russian trace, or may occasionally include a mixture of Azerbaijani gas,” asserts the FNES expert.
According to Naftogaz, Ukraine imported nearly 6 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2025. The company increased import levels due to a decrease in domestic production. However, American LNG still occupies a small share of imports—only 600 million cubic meters in 2025. For 2026, only 300 million cubic meters of LNG have been contracted, as stated by Naftogaz’s commercial director in late December.
Transporting gas from Lithuania is economically unfeasible due to the length of the route—this raises the cost of an already pricey LNG. At the European spot market, gas is priced at $420 per thousand cubic meters. Meanwhile, Ukraine is constantly looking in Europe for someone willing to finance the importation of gas.
The same situation applies to LNG supplies from the German terminal via Poland. “In general, Ukraine could explore this option, but the Germans have limited capacity at their receiving terminal. They themselves utilize the services of neighbors: tankers with LNG arrive in Belgium and the Netherlands, from where pipeline gas is routed to Germany. And currently, the Baltic Sea has frozen over—therefore, the reception of gas carriers at Germany's terminals has halted,” explains Yushkov.
“Lithuania could become a transit hub for the supply of American gas to Ukraine. In 2025, Lithuania increased its LNG purchases from the US from 1.4 billion cubic meters for all of 2024 to 2.16 billion for 11 months in 2025. This exceeds Lithuania's own gas consumption, which stands at 1.6 billion cubic meters. This indicates that Lithuania is re-exporting 560 million cubic meters to neighboring countries. However, the role of LNG supplies for Eastern Europe should not be overstated. The primary sources of raw materials in the region will continue to be pipeline deliveries from Norway, Azerbaijan, and Russia. To increase the role of LNG, new regasification terminals must be built, which will require additional investments,” reflects Sergey Tereshkin, CEO of Open Oil Market.
An intriguing question arises: why hasn’t Ukraine, which has long desired to ingratiate itself with the US, built its own LNG terminal or acquired a floating LNG terminal in Odessa?
“The fact is that Turkey has long refused to allow gas carriers through the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits for LNG deliveries to Ukraine. This is due to congestion in the straits and concerns about security. Turkey suggests unloading LNG on its shores and pumping the gas overland to Ukraine,” explains Yushkov.
Under such conditions, no one will invest in building an LNG terminal in Ukraine. In 2012, Ukraine almost built such a terminal in collaboration with the Spanish Gas Natural Fenosa, with a ceremonial event planned to kick off the project. However, it turned out that Ukrainian officials were duped by a fraudster with no relation to the Spanish company.
“All these supplies through third countries are a demonstration of political loyalty to the US. Washington wants everyone to purchase American gas, and that’s what Ukraine does.
The Americans shamelessly politicize energy issues and explicitly state that political allies should purchase American hydrocarbons. Trump has even promoted this idea more aggressively than Biden. The EU’s promise to procure energy resources from the US worth $750 billion over the next three years is also a demonstration of loyalty to the US,” states the FNES expert.
According to him, there are currently two political forces in Ukraine: some elites wish to continue displaying their loyalty to the US, while others believe it is necessary to orient towards Europeans and, from time to time, criticize Americans, playing into the rift in American-European relations.
Source: VZGLYAD
