Greece and Egypt reaffirm their commitment to an undersea power cable

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece and Egypt reaffirmed their commitment Wednesday to a proposed undersea electricity interconnection designed to transport renewable energy from North Africa to Europe.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi renewed the pledge during talks in Athens, following the signing of cooperation agreements across multiple sectors.

The planned 3,000-megawatt capacity cable will stretch nearly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) across the eastern Mediterranean and has secured backing from the European Union, making it eligible for significant EU funding.

“This will allow both Greece and Europe to import low-cost energy – primarily wind energy, which you are able to produce very competitively – and export it to Europe,” Mitsotakis said during joint statements.

The project, estimated to cost around 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion), is expected to become operational within five years, under an ambitious timeline set by both governments. It aims to transmit solar and wind-generated power developed specifically for the project in Egypt, with private sector involvement led by Greece’s Copelouzos Group.

El-Sissi highlighted the project’s strategic importance. “It’s not just a bilateral matter – it’s a strategic regional project, as it creates a direct link that will extend to Europe via Greece,” he said. “We count on the European Union’s support for this major initiative.”

The EU has expressed strong interest in expanding energy partnerships with non-member countries to diversify its energy sources and reduce its historic dependence on Russian energy following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Mitsotakis and el-Sissi also discussed regional security, migration challenges, and ways to deepen Egypt’s relationship with the European Union.

“Greece is a steadfast ally of Egypt, including on matters concerning your country’s relationship with the European Union,” Mitsotakis said, underlining Athens’ role in fostering closer EU-Egypt ties.

The talks in Athens concluded with agreements to explore additional energy cooperation, facilitate expanded seasonal employment of Egyptian workers in Greece, and enhance collaboration across financial, defense, and cultural sectors.

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi pose for photographs prior their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis signs bilateral agreements next to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, during their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, welcomes Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi prior their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, and the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi sign bilateral agreements during their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, and the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi sign bilateral agreements during their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi speaks during a joint news conference with Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi gesture during a joint news conference in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)