Egypt, Israel, and the European Union struck an agreement on Wednesday to enhance sales of liquefied natural gas to EU members, whose goal is to lessen their reliance on Russian supplies while the conflict in Ukraine continues.

According to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the agreement signed in a five-star hotel in Cairo will result in Israel shipping more gas via Egypt, which has the capabilities to liquefy it for export by sea.

At a press conference with the energy ministers of Egypt and Israel, von der Leyen remarked, "What a special moment," "I very warmly welcome the signing of this historic agreement."

Because the European Union received almost 40 percent of its gas from Russia in 2013, it has been challenging to impose sanctions against Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The Israeli gas will be transported via pipeline to Egypt's LNG terminal on the Mediterranean before being loaded onto tankers and transported to European coastlines.

Israel has two active gas fields off the coast of the Mediterranean containing an estimated 690 billion cubic meters of natural gas, and a third offshore rig is in the works. It has already entered into gas export deals with Egypt and Jordan.

Egypt's extensive natural gas infrastructure in the Mediterranean has been largely inactive since the 2011 unrest.

The government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has renovated and refurbished the facilities in recent years. In 2018, Egypt inked a $15 billion contract with the Israeli business Delek Drilling and its American partner, Noble Energy, to transport natural gas. Egypt desires to develop a regional energy center.