Gerapetritis travelling to the US to meet Rubio

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis will travel to Washington, DC for a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the United States Department of State, in a visit that signals sustained high-level engagement between Athens and Washington, according to information obtained by Kathimerini.

The trip marks Gerapetritis’ second visit to the State Department during the second term of President Donald Trump. A similar meeting took place in February 2025, underscoring the steady cooperation between the two sides, as well as the strategic continuity of the bilateral relationship.

The talks are expected to cover the full spectrum of bilateral issues, including efforts to further deepen US-Greece cooperation across multiple sectors, strengthen regional stability, and address broader international developments, with particular emphasis on Iran, Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. Preparations for the next round of the Strategic Dialogue between the two countries, scheduled for the coming months, are also expected to feature prominently.

The meeting comes at a time of heightened geopolitical strain, with Iran at the forefront of the US foreign policy agenda and a source of mounting international concern. In this volatile environment, close coordination between Greece and the United States is increasingly viewed as critical to safeguarding shared strategic interests, particularly in matters of regional and global security.

Also in Washington is Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou, who is participating in the Transatlantic Natural Gas Security Summit held at the Donald Trump Institute for Peace.

The summit is taking place in the presence of US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, along with representatives of the White House Energy Dominance Council, reaffirming the importance Washington attaches to transatlantic energy cooperation and to strengthening Europe’s natural gas supply security.

Shortly after arriving in the US capital, Papastavrou addressed an event titled “10 Years of US-EU Cooperation in Liquefied Natural Gas,” noting that energy has become a pillar of security and strategic convergence between Europe and the United States. He said that nearly 60% of Europe’s LNG imports now originate from the United States, making the European Union the largest global destination for American liquefied natural gas.

He placed particular emphasis on safeguarding Europe’s strategic disengagement from Russian natural gas, warning that its indirect re-entry into the European market through alternative routes must be prevented.

He said the European Union and the United States must work in close coordination to deter any moves that could undermine their collective energy strategy and to jointly address alternative transit routes for Russian natural gas via Turkey.

“In March 2025, the European Union launched the ambitious REPowerEU program, aiming to fully eliminate dependence on Russian natural gas by the end of 2027. For Greece, as a country that continues to confront the consequences of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, supporting Ukraine was a self-evident position from the outset. We have stood by Ukraine from day one, and we must put an end to Russia’s aggression,” Papastavrou said.

Referring specifically to the Vertical Corridor, he described it as a strategic project not only in commercial but also in geopolitical terms, linking Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. Its potential expansion could include Hungary, Slovakia and Western Balkan countries such as Serbia and North Macedonia. “This corridor is not only about energy, it is an artery of peace and prosperity, contributing to regional stability and potentially preventing conflicts more effectively than other security mechanisms, including NATO,” he said.

Papastavrou added that 98% of Route 1’s available capacity was secured in the most recent binding booking round, a signal of strong commercial uptake and of the corridor’s increasing strategic weight.

Also in Washington is US Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who held a series of high-level meetings at the White House and the State Department. Guilfoyle met with Trump, where, among other issues, the possibility of a presidential visit to Greece was discussed, Kathimerini understands, an idea the President is said to view favorably. She also met with Rubio at the State Department as part of ongoing institutional diplomatic consultations.