Competing energy providers claim Guilfoyle ignored their bids to favor Aktor. These developments follow reports of a March dinner in Athens where Guilfoyle allegedly told U.S. and Greek officials that the U.S. could replace the government of any nation it desired, including Greece, following the collapse of the Romanian government. Greek Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou responded that the U.S. had no authority to replace a government elected by voters.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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US Ambassador Guilfoyle Used Undisclosed Lobbyist to Push $6B Aktor LNG Deal
Geopolitics23 days ago
The U.S. embassy in Athens is facing scrutiny over efforts by Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle to facilitate energy contracts for a specific private firm in the Balkans. Guilfoyle advocated for countries including Bulgaria to buy U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) through Aktor, a Greek company that secured a $6 billion deal in Albania. Christos Marafatsos attended diplomatic meetings as an advisor without being disclosed as a lobbyist for Aktor, for whom he was paid over $440,000 in fees, and was often mistaken by foreign officials for Guilfoyle's chief of staff. Aktor estimates the resulting LNG contracts will generate €1.8 billion in pretax profits over 20 years.
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