Guilfoyle at the Economist: Athens Emerging as a Top Player in Europe’s Energy Future

In remarks delivered at the Economist’s “The World Ahead 2026” conference, U.S. Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle emphasized Greece’s growing strategic importance in European energy security, highlighting its role as a gateway for American liquefied natural gas (LNG) and its critical position in regional energy infrastructure.

Guilfoyle opened her speech with a warm “καλησπέρα” in Greek, saying she had just arrived from the airport, and reflected on 2025 as a year of significant strengthening of U.S.–Greece relations — especially in the areas of defense, energy, and economic security. She invoked a phrase often used by former President Donald Trump:

“Economic security is national security, and the engine of that is energy.”

The Ambassador pointed to the strategic role of the Vertical Corridor — a planned route for transporting American LNG northward from Greece — as well as the recent signing of an agreement for the first American LNG shipment destined for Ukraine, which will initially arrive at the Revithoussa terminal.

According to Guilfoyle, the Russian strategy seeks to trap Europe into dependency on inexpensive Russian gas, thus undermining its autonomy. In contrast, the United States aims to break that dependence by offering reliable and affordable energy, with Greek infrastructure playing a central role in this shift.

She stressed that the U.S. commitment — rooted in shared values and mutual respect — is aimed at ending Europe’s reliance on Russian energy so that households and businesses can secure dependable and reasonably priced supplies. A key tool in this strategic vision, she said, is American LNG, which, she believes, will transform the European energy map.

Guilfoyle further outlined two main expectations the United States has for Europe:

• to end all imports of Russian natural gas by the autumn of 2027, and
• for Europe to move toward U.S. LNG purchases totaling approximately $700 billion.

Highlighting Greece’s role, she declared that the country is not on the sidelines of Europe’s energy future but is instead a “star player,” serving as the starting point of the Vertical Corridor. This reflects broader cooperation in energy projects, including recent agreements between Greek and American energy firms that further establish Greece as a regional energy hub.

Ambassador Guilfoyle expressed confidence that U.S.–Greece energy cooperation will deepen and become even more substantive in the coming years, with energy remaining at the center of the bilateral strategic relationship.

Source: pagenews.gr