EU increases Russian gas imports - Purchases expanded by 30% in the first half of 2025
The European Union spent around 4.48 billion euros on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia during the first half of 2025. The data marks a significant increase, compared to the 3.47 billion euros spent in the same period in 2024, according to Eurostat.
The figures show that Russian LNG imports rose by almost 30% year-on-year, even as the bloc continues to impose a series of sanctions on Moscow. Total EU LNG purchases for the first six months of 2025 amounted to 26.9 billion euros, with the United States providing the largest share, 13.7 billion euros or 45%. Russia continues to supply gas through the TurkStream pipeline. “These supplies are only intended for a few countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia,” Deutsche Welle reports.
Russian liquefied natural gas arrives in Europe via tankers, with shipments increasing in 2024 but falling again from the start of 2025. The EU received around 5.7 billion cubic meters of Russian LNG between January and March 2025.
The current sanctions framework creates an uneven playing field for Russian energy products. “Russian oil is primarily subject to the EU embargo, set to expire in 2023. Sanctions on Russian gas apply only to pipeline gas and include exemptions for Budapest and Bratislava,” Deutsche Welle pointed out.
The lack of restrictions on LNG has allowed purchases by major EU economies to continue. “As for liquefied natural gas from Russia, the European Union has not imposed any restrictive measures. It was actively purchased, in particular, by Spain, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. At the same time, Austria, Poland and the Baltic states have voluntarily refused gas from Moscow in the past,” the report says.
The data highlights broader patterns of EU-Russia energy trade. In 2024, the European Union spent around €21.9 billion on fossil fuel imports from Russia, just 1% less than the previous year. This amount was higher than the €18.7 billion in financial assistance the EU provided to Ukraine during the same period.
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