EU countries now buying much more Russian liquefied natural gas after oil boycott

In the first half of 2023, EU countries bought over 22 million cubic meters of liquefied natural gas, compared to 15 million cubic meters in the same period in 2021, an increase of 40% . 

Global Witness expects that EU purchases from Russia will be worth more than five billion euros this year. This increase is much larger than the global average rise in Russian LNG imports, which is 6%. 

Earlier this year, Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson called for an end to the purchase of Russian LNG. Spanish Energy Minister Teresa Ribera urged Spanish buyers not to sign new contracts for Russian LNG and described the situation as “absurd”. 

Recent research shows that energy companies continued trading LNG after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Earlier analyses revealed that Shell bought and sold 12 percent of all Russian exports. 

Spain is currently the second-largest recipient of Russian LNG worldwide after China, followed by Belgium. France, the Netherlands, Greece, Portugal, Finland, Italy, and Sweden are also listed by Global Witness as current consumers of Russian LNG. 

Since the start of the war, the EU has banned imports of Russian coal and Russian oil, but has spared imports of Russian gas.