Some EU countries continue to rely on Russian gas

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, Europe has made major efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian gas by diversifying its suppliers. Yet even in the second year of the war, some EU countries are still buying significant amounts of Russian gas.

Imports of Russian gas to the EU via pipelines fell dramatically, from 3.2 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas in January 2021 to 0.4 bcm in January 2023. However, imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipped from Russia to the EU increased over the same period, from 0.8 bcm to 1.6 bcm.

The reduction in pipeline imports is hitting Russia hard financially, as it cannot build pipeline infrastructure to other countries quickly enough. On the other hand, Russia can easily transport LNG to different parts of the world, at least partially compensating for lost revenue from lower pipeline gas supplies. This is one reason why the EU is so reluctant to ban imports of Russian gas. The financial consequences for Russia would be limited, while Europe would also harm itself by taking such a step.