The three-year-long Russia-Ukraine War has triggered a severe energy shortage in Ukraine, pushing the Eastern European country to pursue new energy alliances across Africa.
According to a recent report, Ukraine is considering sourcing large volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Mozambique.
This was revealed by Volodymyr Zelensky following talks on Monday with Daniel Chapo, where the discussions highlighted Ukraine’s interest in LNG imports.
“Ukraine is seeking additional energy sources, while Mozambique is interested in Ukraine’s expertise and technologies to enhance internal security and protect its citizens from threats,” Zelensky said.
Despite Russia being a major LNG producer, Ukraine has not purchased Russian gas since 2015, years before the conflict began.
At the time, Kyiv depended largely on domestic production, but the war has significantly disrupted its LNG output.
Reports indicate that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure have severely limited the country’s ability to sustain production.
According to Central Bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyi, Ukraine’s domestic LNG production has dropped by roughly 50%.
Mozambique has emerged as one of Africa’s leading gas-producing nations.
The country, alongside TotalEnergies, has been identified as a potential key supplier after announcing in January plans to resume a major LNG project that had been halted due to insurgent activity.
With an expected capacity of 13 million metric tons annually, Mozambique is on track to become a significant global LNG exporter.
However, last October, TotalEnergies disclosed that the project’s cost had risen by $4.5 billion following a four-year suspension caused by attacks from Islamist militants.
During the same period, ExxonMobil pulled back from the $30 billion Rovuma LNG project due to security concerns within Mozambique.
If completed, the Rovuma project would rank as Africa’s largest LNG export facility.
Ongoing instability in the Cabo Delgado region where an Islamist insurgency has persisted for nearly a decade has continued to discourage investors.
In December 2025, the UK Export Finance announced it would withdraw its $1.15 billion backing for the TotalEnergies-led Mozambique LNG project.
The funding had originally been approved in 2020, shortly before the UK government pledged to stop financing fossil fuel projects abroad.
British business minister Peter Kyle explained that revised financing proposals were presented as preparations were underway to restart the project.
He noted that the decision followed a detailed review, concluding that withdrawing support was in the best interest of UK taxpayers.
The Mozambique LNG project is jointly owned by TotalEnergies (26.5%), Mitsui (20%), state-owned ENH (15%), Bharat Petroleum (10%), Oil India (10%), ONGC Videsh (10%), and PTTEP (8.5%).