The President of the United States, Donald Trump, republished on his personal account on Truth Social an earlier exclusive interview given by the Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus, Michalis Damianos, to the American website Breitbart News, in which the Cypriot Minister described the personal involvement of the American President in the energy issues of the Eastern Mediterranean as "vital".
Mr. Trump's post, which was recorded on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, reproduces the title of the article in full, accompanied by the link to the article. www.breitbart.com - Exclusive - Cyprus Energy Minister: Trump's 'Energy Security' Engagement 'Vital' to Future of West
According to the American media, Mr. Damianos gave the interview last month, during his visit to the US for a series of contacts regarding the course of Cypriot exploration and natural gas development. The interview was published in Breitbart yesterday.
"I think President Trump's involvement in this is vital, and I think the imprint is already there. We are excited to be able to work with this Government," said the Cypriot Minister. "To be honest, if President Trump wasn't there in relation to what we're trying to do, things could have been different," he added.
He said he wanted to clearly convey the message that Nicosia considers US involvement in the region "fundamental to the energy security of the region".
"We are here because Cyprus is and wants to be a reliable partner for the US. The US can count on us," the Minister said, describing the Republic as "an EU country, a small country, a democratic country in the region that can support the interests of our partners". "We are with you, we support the initiatives, we like what we see," he added.
20 Tcf deposits both American giants
The Minister referred to reserves of around 20 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) within the Cypriot EEZ, noting that the figures are disproportionate to the size of the country. "We are a million people. In terms of our own needs, one Tcf would cover something like ours for hundreds of years, which means that we will export over 99 percent of what we produce," he said. At the same time, he expressed confidence that stocks will prove to be larger in the future.
A key role, as he mentioned, is played by the two American energy giants operating in the Cypriot EEZ. "The most important thing to mention is that we have the two big oil groups in Cyprus — we have Chevron, we have Exxon-Mobil," he noted. Chevron is the operator of the "Aphrodite" field, while ExxonMobil is the operator of the "Pegasus" and "Glafkos" fields, which are estimated at between five and six Tcf.
"We consider the participation of these entities of equal importance for us, for the country," the Minister said, adding that the US presence "at the level of policy and assistance in the region" — from Greece and further east — is "extremely important in terms of energy security". referred in particular to the presence of ExxonMobil, one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, with substantial experience in deep waters".
The Egyptian way out, the "3+1" scheme and the 2028 horizon
Regarding the availability of gas, the Minister said that part of the production will be directed to Egypt and from there to the European market. "It's important for companies, it's important for Egypt, it's important for Cyprus, it's important for the EU," he said, explaining that "the European market was based until a few years ago on Russian gas — this dependence is decreasing."
As he explained, Egypt has about 120 million inhabitants and needs more gas than its own, dwindling, reserves have.
The Cypriot Minister attached particular importance to the quadrilateral cooperation "3+1" (Greece – Cyprus – Israel – USA). "The 3+1 partnership is extremely important, in the sense that Israel is an extremely important partner for us, both in terms of energy and everything else," he said, adding that "Greece is also an extremely important player for Cyprus, but also for the US."
Referring to the time horizon, the Minister estimated that "the idea is that the EEZ of Cyprus, between 2028 and maybe twenty years from now, will have enough gas to extract, so we believe that we can be a factor of stability in the region" — "together with our partners and, of course, with the assistance and blessing, I would say, of the USA".
Regarding the wider European picture, Mr. Damianos estimated that Greece will emerge as the main player of the continent, through the corridor that will supply Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine from Alexandroupolis. "Gas is here to stay," he noted, estimating that even as a bridge-fuel to the green transition it will be needed for at least thirty years. For countries such as Norway and the United Kingdom, he remarked: "Are they missing the opportunity? They definitely lose it." And he concluded: "Energy is very geopolitical, so we need the right partnerships."
The Houston Center and the Final Message
Mr. Damianos' contacts in the US in June included the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum and the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Forum in Washington, as well as the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center at Rice University in Houston, with the participation of American, Greek and Israeli officials.
The establishment of the Center, as the Minister said, is "another indication of the position of President Trump's Administration in terms of further developing this relationship", adding that "we are a small country and we need every help we can receive from the US". "We're excited to see things the same way," he noted.
In closing, the Cypriot Minister said that "if there was one message I would like to convey, it would be that the presence of the US and its connection with it is fundamental to our energy security — and by our energy security I mean the Eastern Mediterranean." "I want to pass the message that Cyprus is and will be a reliable partner for the US in the years to come" and added that "we are glad to see things in the same way. I think from the discussions we've had with American officials, it looks like this is something that's taken very, very seriously in general, but also specifically."
