Ukraine could become a major storage and distribution hub for American natural gas in Central and Eastern Europe, according to an analysis published by the Atlantic Council.
Stephen Blank, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, argues that western Ukraine’s storage facilities near the European Union could support expanded US supplies, provided security and logistical obstacles are addressed.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Ukraine’s underground gas storage operator, Ukrtransgaz, puts the network’s total capacity at 30.95 billion cubic meters (1.09 trillion cubic feet). That figure represents storage capacity, not the amount of gas currently held.
The proposal comes as Russian attacks increase Ukraine’s reliance on imported gas. According to Blank’s analysis, strikes knocked out up to 60% of domestic production capacity in 2025.
Ukraine contracted about 456 million cubic meters (16.1 billion cubic feet) of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2025 and another 381 million cubic meters (13.5 billion cubic feet) in the first quarter of 2026, the analysis said. Naftogaz has developed supply routes through terminals in Poland, Lithuania, Germany and Greece.
In November, Naftogaz announced a deal with Poland’s ORLEN for 300 million cubic meters (10.6 billion cubic feet) of US gas, scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2026. In February, it announced its first US LNG supply through Germany’s terminal on Rügen.
Other Topics of Interest
‘We Can No Longer Pretend’: Kyiv Faces Fight for Survival, Klitschko Warns
Kyiv’s mayor urged a return to the unity of February 2022.
LNG arriving at European terminals is converted back into gas before entering pipeline networks.
Blank argues that Ukraine could become a major gas storage partner for the Three Seas Initiative, helping redistribute American gas across the region and meet seasonal demand. He cautions that this would require investment and sustained US institutional support.
The Trump administration, however, doesn’t show signs of willingness to do that.
Security remains a constraint. Deep underground reservoirs offer protection for stored gas, but the infrastructure serving them remains exposed. A Russian attack on a Naftogaz storage facility in March 2024 damaged equipment, although the company said storage services would continue.
Source: www.kyivpost.com
