Europe increases imports of Russian energy resources despite sanctions and support for Ukraine, - Reuters
Despite reducing their dependence on Russian energy resources, a number of European countries increased their purchases of oil and gas from the Russian Federation in 2025.
This was reported by Reuters, as informed by Censor.NET.
As noted, since the beginning of the year, the EU has imported more than €11 billion worth of Russian energy resources, although overall dependence on Russia has fallen by 90% since 2022.
France (+40%, to €2.2 billion) and the Netherlands (+72%, to €498 million) increased their imports the most. Ports in France, Spain and other countries remain key points for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia, some of which is then transported to other EU countries.
In total, seven countries in the bloc – including France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, Romania and Portugal – increased their purchases of Russian energy resources compared to last year. Hungary and Slovakia continue to import pipeline gas and oppose a ban on Russian LNG.
According to CREA, in 2021, the EU purchased €133 billion worth of energy from Russia, and in January-August 2025, only €11.4 billion, which is 21% less than last year. At the same time, since 2022, the total amount of Russian energy imports has exceeded €213 billion, while EU aid to Ukraine amounted to €167 billion, according to estimates by the Kiel Institute.
