Ukraine set to import gas from Greece, resume Russia talks - Weekend brief
RBC-Ukraine collage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a gas agreement with Greece. Drones struck oil refineries in Russia, while peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow may once again take place in Türkiye.
Read more about what happened over the weekend.
Gas supplies from Greece
Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Greece and announced that the countries had agreed to create a new energy route. It will ensure gas supplies to Ukraine via a vertical energy corridor from Alexandroupolis, Greece, to Odesa.
Greek natural gas operator DEPA specified that the agreements with Naftogaz of Ukraine are scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. Gas supplies are expected in January.
Zelenskyy launches sweeping overhaul of Ukraine's energy management system
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the launch of a comprehensive cleanup and renewal of Ukraine’s energy sector management system.
According to the head of state, the government has been instructed to submit to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law on updating the composition of the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities (NCSREPU) immediately.
It is also planned to update the leadership of the State Nuclear Regulation Inspectorate and the State Energy Supervision Inspectorate.
Additionally, Zelenskyy instructed Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to submit a proposal to parliament for the appointment of a new head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy paid separate attention to the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA). He emphasized the need for a full reboot and the completion of the competition for the position by the end of the year.
New strikes against Russia
On the night of November 15, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched a series of high-precision strikes on military and infrastructure facilities in Russia. The Ryazan oil refinery, the Nebo-U radar station in occupied Crimea, and a military echelon in the Tokmak area in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region were hit.
On Sunday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Defense Forces had struck the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery in the Samara region of Russia. Fires broke out in the area of the target.
Ukrainian forces also destroyed a storage base for Rubicon drones and a fuel and lubricant pumping station in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region.
Ukraine and Russia to resume prisoner exchanges
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said that Ukraine and Russia will resume prisoner exchanges. The parties agreed to activate the Istanbul agreements, and 1,200 Ukrainians are expected to be released in the near future.
On the same day, Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the war between Ukraine and Russia will ultimately end with negotiations. He stressed that the negotiations should take place in Türkiye, as their country is the only acceptable venue for both sides.
