EU countries have recently imported more from Russia more than before the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
According to the Center for Studies in the field of energy and clean air (CREA), the EU countries plan to get rid of energy dependence on Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine, but are still the largest buyers of Russian LNG.
If in January -July of 2021 the share of the EU countries in LNG export from Russia was 39 percent, then in 2022 this indicator increased to 49 percent, and in 2023 to 52 percent. Thus, the EU countries purchased more than half of the Russian LNG, despite the conflict in Ukraine.
In general, the EU countries imported a record amount of LNG from Russia in January -July of the current year – 13.2 billion cubic meters.
Import of LNG in the EU for the same period of the pre -war 2021 amounted to 9 billion cubic meters. So, the import of Russian LNG countries in the EU countries over 7 months of this year increased by 46.6 percent compared to the pre -war level.
In addition, EU members paid Russia for Import LNG about 5.3 billion euros for 7 months.
Among the states of the Spain and Belgium communities, they took first place in the purchase of Russian LNG. During this period, 18 percent of the total SPG sales in Russia was in Spain and 17 percent of Belgium.
Russia takes fourth place in the world export of LNG after Australia, USA and Qatar.
Last year, the country’s European Union provided 44 percent of the total import of LNG due to supplies from the United States, 17 percent of Russia and 13 percent of Qatar.