According to Politico, in the first two weeks of 2025, the European Union (EU) imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia at a record rate.
Data from commodity information provider Kpler shows that EU countries bought 837,300 tonnes of LNG from Russia, marking an all-time high, up sharply from 760,100 tonnes in the same period in 2024.
The surge came shortly after Ukraine refused to extend its pipeline gas transit contract with Russia's Gazprom until the end of 2024. The decision cut off pipeline gas supplies from Russia to countries including Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Italy and Moldova.
Russia's pipeline gas exports have dropped significantly following the Ukraine conflict and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline in September 2022.
Despite pledges to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, the EU continues to import large amounts of LNG from the country. LNG is not fully affected by recent EU sanctions.
In June 2024, the EU imposed its first ban on Russian LNG, including banning ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore transfers of gas for re-export purposes. However, these sanctions have a transition period of up to nine months, allowing member states to continue importing LNG from Russia.
Although the EU has set a goal of gradually reducing its dependence on Russian energy, according to Kpler data, the volume of LNG purchased by the bloc accounted for 15% of total fuel imports as of June 2024.
In the first half of last year, Russia was the second largest supplier of LNG to continental Europe after the United States, according to data from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, accounting for 21%.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia will continue to increase its share of LNG in the global market, asserting that it is one of the most demanded energy products in the world.
