Europe Increases Russian Gas Imports Amid Energy Crisis

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Europe Increases Russian Gas Imports Amid Energy Crisis

The winter of 2025 brought record consumption of Russian gas to Europe, despite the EU’s efforts to reduce its dependence on energy from Russia. According to commodity analytics company Kpler, the EU imported 837 tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia in the first two weeks of January, up 300% from the same period last year. The increase came as gas transit through Ukraine ceased. On January 10, 1, a key agreement allowing Russia to supply natural gas to Europe via Ukrainian territory expired. Kyiv said it would not renew the deal, forcing European countries to look for alternative supply routes, including seaborne LNG imports.

The halt in transit through Ukraine has created significant difficulties for a number of countries, including Slovakia and Hungary, which depended on gas supplies via Ukrainian infrastructure. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has expressed his displeasure, threatening to cut support for Ukraine and aid to refugees if Kyiv does not resume transit. However, despite these difficulties, the EU continues to buy Russian LNG, delivered by tankers from northern Russian ports. Most of the imported gas comes from the Yamal plant in Siberia, where production is carried out under long-term contracts. Analysts note that a cold snap in December and a decline in wind energy production have also contributed to the increase in imports.

The European Commission has acknowledged that efforts to reduce Russian energy imports are yielding results, but gas and LNG from Russia remain a significant part of the EU's energy mix. In 2024, despite sanctions and reduced pipeline supplies, Russian gas imports continued to grow. This has raised concerns among the bloc's member states, ten of which have already called for sanctions on LNG imports.

The European Commission plans to present a “roadmap” to stop purchasing Russian energy by the end of February 2025. At the same time, there are calls to increase gas imports from the United States. The new US President Donald Trump has expressed his readiness to deepen production and increase LNG exports to Europe. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has already supported this initiative, noting that American LNG could become a cheaper alternative.

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