EU Imports of Russian Gas Highest Since Ukraine Invasion

EU imports of Russian LNG reached their highest first-quarter level since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, rising 16% year-on-year despite the bloc’s pledge to phase out Russian energy by 2027. Researchers say supply disruptions linked to the Middle East war and growing dependence on expensive US LNG have exposed weaknesses in Europe’s energy strategy. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flag of Russia painted on a wall with gas, crude oil pipe shadow and rubles. (Image by Depositphotos) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google European Union imports of Russian liquefied natural gas hit their highest level in the first quarter since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to research published Wednesday. The surge came as nations worldwide scramble for energy supplies to replace disrupted deliveries during the Middle East war. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . But the EU has vowed to end all imports of Russian gas and oil by the end of 2027 due to the war in Ukraine. Russian gas shipments by pipeline to the EU have largely stopped but countries are still buying its LNG via tankers, led by France, Spain and Belgium, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, an independent research group. Its report found that the EU imported 6.9 billion cubic meters of Russian gas in the first three months of this year, a 16 percent increase from the first quarter last year, and the highest since 2022. The trend continued in April, with imports up 17 percent on the year, the IEEFA told AFP. Russia remains the second-biggest supplier of LNG to the bloc, providing around 14 percent of the total, the group said. EU nations have increasingly turned toward the United States, with imports of US LNG more than tripling between 2021 and 2025, it said. In the first quarter alone, EU imports of US LNG jumped 27 percent. “The US will become the EU’s largest gas supplier in 2026 and could account for 80 percent of its LNG imports by 2028,” the institute said, noting that US gas is the most expensive for European buyers. Other Topics of Interest Putin Claims Successful Test of ‘Doomsday’ Sarmat Missile After Years of Failures and Delays Russia says it successfully tested its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, reviving claims about the troubled “doomsday” weapon after years of failed launches, explosions and repeated delays. President Vladimir Putin called it the world’s most powerful missile, despite ongoing uncertainty over its full operational deployment. “Europe’s shift from pipeline gas to LNG was meant to provide security of supply and diversification,” Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, the IEEFA’s lead energy analyst for Europe, said in a statement. “Yet disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East and an overreliance on US LNG show that Europe’s plan has failed on both counts,” she said.