Ukraine Boasts New Shipment of American LNG, Set to Arrive via the Lithuanian Port of Klaipeda for the First Time. Plans in Place for LNG Import via German Terminal: Can Ukraine Finally Escape Russian Gas Dependency in Favor of American LNG?
Ukrainian "Naftogaz" proudly announces it has organized the first shipment of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Ukraine through the terminal at the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda.
In conjunction with Lithuanian holding Ignitis Group, a supply of 90 million cubic meters of LNG from the United States has been secured. "Naftogaz" will independently transport this gas to Ukraine in February-March, stated the CEO of Naftogaz, Sergey Koretsky. He added that the company has also begun importing liquefied gas through a terminal in Germany.
These are not the first attempts by Ukraine to purchase LNG from the U.S. as a substitute for Russian gas. As early as 2017, Kyiv made initial efforts to source gas from the Polish LNG terminal in Świnoujście. In December 2024, discussions were underway regarding acquiring a shipment of LNG via Greece.
The current plan includes deliveries through the LNG terminal in Germany, then through Polish territory and the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda.
However, one common thread runs through all these narratives. Reports of purchasing American LNG via a third country surface, at best, once a year – and that is where the story typically concludes. For several months, while the tanker with LNG navigates to the maritime terminal, Ukraine maintains interest and boasts of its achievements. However, no consistent purchases materialize. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether this American gas truly reaches Ukrainian territory.
“Indeed, Ukraine occasionally buys American LNG. But this is primarily a PR stunt that Ukrainians repeat regularly. Typically, Ukraine grandly announces a purchase of LNG, followed by news that the tanker has arrived in a certain country, but after that, the information dries up. Because they do not deliver 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 typically unfolds as follows: "Naftogaz" acquires American-sourced 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 transport this gas when other sources are available at more favorable prices? The primary volumes of import gas reach Ukraine through Hungary and Slovakia, which purchase Russian gas via the "Turkish Stream." Thus, Ukraine ends up reselling the same Russian-sourced 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, with smaller volumes entering from Poland via the LNG terminal, the expert adds.
“I believe that virtually all of the gas imported by Ukraine is Russian, which enters European countries through the 'Turkish Stream,' apart from the gas sourced from Poland. Through the Polish network, Ukrainians can supplement their LNG supply. Everything coming from the south is likely to have ties to Russian gas or, occasionally, a mix of Azerbaijani gas,” concludes the FNEB expert.
According to "Naftogaz," Ukraine imported nearly 6 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2025. The company has ramped up import volumes due to a decline in domestic production. However, American LNG still comprises a small portion of the overall imports – in 2025, only 600 million cubic meters of it were accounted for. For 2026, only 300 million cubic meters of LNG have been contracted, as stated by the commercial director of "Naftogaz" at the end of December.
Transporting gas from Lithuania is economically impractical due to the lengthy route – driving up the already high costs of LNG. On the European spot market, gas prices stand at $420 per thousand cubic meters. Meanwhile, Ukraine is consistently seeking European partners willing to finance the import of gas.
A similar situation exists with LNG supplies from the German terminal via Poland. "In general, Ukraine might explore this option, but the Germans have limited receiving terminal capacities. They primarily rely on neighboring countries: tankers with LNG arrive in Belgium and the Netherlands, from where pipeline gas is routed to Germany. Currently, the Baltic Sea is even frozen – halting incoming LNG vessels at German terminals," explains Yushkov.
“Lithuania may become a transit hub for supplying American gas to Ukraine. In 2025, Lithuania increased its LNG purchases from the U.S. from 1.4 billion cubic meters in the entirety of 2024 to 2.16 billion over the eleven months of 2025. This exceeds Lithuania's own consumption of 1.6 billion cubic meters. Hence, Lithuania is re-exporting 560 million cubic meters to neighboring countries. However, the role of LNG shipments for Eastern Europe should not be overstated. The primary source of raw materials in the region will continue to remain pipeline supplies from Norway, Azerbaijan, and Russia. To enhance the role of LNG, new regasification terminals need to be constructed, which will require additional investments,” discusses Sergey Tereshkin, General Director of Open Oil Market.
A perplexing question arises: why has Ukraine, which has long sought to curry favor with the U.S., not built its own LNG terminal or stationed a floating LNG terminal in Odessa?
“The issue is that Turkey has long refused to allow LNG carriers to pass through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits for LNG shipments to Ukraine. This is due to the heavy traffic in these straits and safety concerns. Turkey proposes unloading LNG on their coast and transferring gas overland to Ukraine,” explains Yushkov.
In such conditions, no one will invest in constructing an LNG terminal in Ukraine. In 2012, Ukraine nearly initiated such a terminal in collaboration with Spain's Gas Natural Fenosa, and a ceremonial event for the project's launch was even planned. However, it turned out that a fraudster, with no legitimate ties to the Spanish company, had misled Ukrainian officials.
"All these supplies through third countries are a demonstration of political loyalty to the U.S. Washington wants everyone to purchase American gas, so Ukraine complies."
Americans unabashedly politicize the energy issue and openly state that political allies should buy American hydrocarbons. Trump even promoted this idea more vigorously than Biden. The EU's commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy resources from the U.S. over the next three years is another show of EU loyalty," says the FNEB expert.
He notes that there are currently two political factions in Ukraine: one elite faction aims to continue demonstrating loyalty to the U.S., while the other believes that the focus should shift toward Europeans and, at times, taking jabs at the Americans in line with the rift in American-European relations.
Source: VZGLYAD
