Ukraine receives US natural gas shipment for the 1st time amid fresh supply fears

Ukraine has received its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S., energy company officials confirmed this week- a positive development for Kyiv as it moves to ramp up its purchases of U.S. supplies and protect against broader supply concerns in the region.

Ukraine's private energy company, DTEK, confirmed it has received some 100 million cubic meters of U.S. LNG in the shipment, which the U.S. shipped to an LNG regasification terminal in Greece. 

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The news comes after Ukraine's DTEK inked a supply deal with U.S.-based LNG supplier Venture Global in June.

The DTEK contract is the first significant LNG contract to be struck between Ukraine and the U.S. and will allow Ukraine to purchase an "unspecificed" amount of LNG from Venture Global through 2026. The companies also signed a separate 20-year agreement, in keeping with traditional longer-term LNG supply contracts.

The news comes just hours before Russian gas giant, Gazprom, is slated to halt all piped gas deliveries shipped through Ukrainian pipelines to other European countries, following the expiration of its five-year contract.

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Ukraine itself does not purchase Russian gas supplies. However, the European Union (EU) remains heavily dependent on imported gas, including from Russia.

Even after the abrupt throttling of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, the EU depends on piped Russian gas for roughly 5% of its total gas imports- sparking fresh fears as to how the bloc might cope in the event of a supply emergency or colder-than-expected winter. 

In the interim, Ukrainian officials said, they hope the additional U.S. supplies can help fill in the gap and help ease any near-term supply crises in the EU.

"Cargoes like this are not only providing the region with a flexible and secure source of power, but are further eroding Russia's influence over our energy system," DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko said in a statement.