The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has reposted an exclusive interview that the Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry of Cyprus, Michael Damianos, gave to the American news portal Breitbart News, in which the Cypriot Minister described the personal involvement of the US President in the energy issues of the Eastern Mediterranean as "vital".
Trump's post on his personal account on Truth Social on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, reproduces the title of the publication verbatim, accompanied by the link to the article.
According to the US media outlet, Damianos gave the interview last month, during his visit to the United States for a series of contacts regarding the progress of Cypriot natural gas exploration and development. The interview was published in Breitbart yesterday.
“I believe that President Trump’s involvement in this is vital, and I think the mark is there already, and we are delighted that we’re able to work with this administration,” the Cypriot Minister said. “To be honest, if President Trump wasn’t there with respect to what we’re trying to do, things could have been different. So, we’re delighted that President Trump is personally looking into this,” he added.
He said he wanted to clearly convey the message that Nicosia considers the U.S. involvement in the area as "fundamental for the area’s energy security.”
“We are here [in the United States last month] because Cyprus is and wants to be a reliable partner for the U.S.,” Damianos said. “The U.S. can rely on us. We are an EU country, a small country, a democratic country in the area that can support the interests of our partners, and we’re happy that we’re moving on furthering this relationship,” he added.
“So we are on board, we support the initiatives," Damianos contined.
20 Tcf deposits and both American giants
The Minister referred to reserves of around 20 Tcf [trillion cubic feet] of reserves within the Cypriot EEZ, noting that the figures are disproportionate to the size of the country.
“In Cyprus we’re a million people… So, with respect to our own needs, one Tcf will be something like our needs for hundreds of years, which means that we will be exporting more than 99 percent of what we produce,” he said, expressing confidence that reserves would prove larger in the future.
A key role, as he mentioned, is played by the two American energy giants operating in the Cypriot EEZ. "“I think the most important thing to mention is that we do have the two big oil majors in Cyprus—we have Chevron, we have Exxon-Mobil—so we are proceeding in a fast pace with both of them and have a very good relationship with respect,” Damianos said. “They are the operators—Chevron is the operator in Aphrodite, Exxon-Mobil are the operators in the other in Pegasus, in Pegasus and Glaucus ( which are estimated to be between five and six Tcf) so we are proceeding in a good place with them, but I think the important thing to say is that we consider the involvement of these entities as tantamount for us, for the country."
“we consider the involvement of these entities as tantamount for us, for the country,” the Minister said, adding that the American presence 2in terms of policy and assistance in the area, and when I’m saying the area I mean the overall East Med from Greece onwards” is “ extremely important with respect to energy security.” He referred in particular to the presence of ExxonMobil, one of “one of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world with substantial experience in deep water in this kind of exploration, and with the ability to ensure that we are going to be getting the gas out.”
The Egyptian way out, the "3+1" scheme and the horizon of 2028
Regarding the distribution of gas, the Minister said that part of the production will be directed to Egypt and from there to the European market. “t’s important for the companies, it’s important for Egypt, it’s important for Cyprus, it’s important for the EU,” he said, explaining that “because it will provide more stability for the European market because the European market was reliant up to a few years ago on the Russian gas—that reliance goes down.”
As he explained, Egypt has a population of approximately 120 million and needs more gas than its own, dwindling, reserves have.
The Cypriot Minister attached particular importance to the quadrilateral “3+1” cooperation (Greece - Cyprus - Israel - USA). “With respect to the area, the 3+1 partnership is extremely important in the sense that Israel is an extremely important partner for us both with respect to energy but with respect to everything else as well,” he said, adding that “Greece is an extremely important player for Cyprus as well, and for the U.S.”
Referring to the time horizon, the Minister estimated that "the idea is that the EZ of Cyprus between 2028 and maybe 20 years from now we’re going to have quite a bit of gas to get out so we consider that we can be a player of stability in the area, along with partners and of course with assistance and the blessing of I would say for the U.S., especially through the involvement of Exxon and Chevron, but generally because of this 3+1 partnership, which is extremely important."
Regarding the broader European picture, Damianos estimated that Greece will emerge as the main player on 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 fuel-bridge to the green transition, it will be needed for at least thirty years. Regarding countries such as Norway and the United Kingdom, he observed: “Are they missing out? They’re definitely missing out.” And he concluded: “Energy is very geopolitical, so we need the right partnerships to be able to do what we’re planning to do.”
The Houston Center and the final message
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, at Rice University in Houston, of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center, with the participation of US, Greek and Israeli officials.
The establishment of the Center, as the Minister stated, is “another sign of President Trump’s administration position with respect to furthering this relationship,” adding that “We are a small country and we need all the help that we can get from the U.S.” “We are delighted that we’re looking at 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 to it is fundamental to our energy security - and by energy security I mean the Eastern Mediterranean."
"I want to pass the message that Cyprus is and will be a reliable partner for the U.S. in the years to come," he added, adding that, "We are delighted that we’re looking at things the same way.I think from discussions that we had with U.S. officials, it seems that this is something that is being taken very, very seriously in general, but specifically as well."
(Sources: Breitbart News, InBusinessNews)
