Imports are growing: seven EU countries have increased purchases of Russian energy resources
Фото: spravdi.gov.ua
Despite the EU’s efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy, some countries in the bloc are increasing their purchases of gas and oil, effectively providing the Kremlin with billions in revenue.
Reuters reports this.
According to sources, although the EU has reduced energy imports from Russia by almost 90% since 2022, the bloc still bought more than 11 billion euros worth of Russian resources in the first eight months of 2025.
Interestingly, seven of the 27 EU member states, including five active supporters of Ukraine, increased their imports of Russian energy in 2025 compared to the previous year:
France — +40% (up to 2.2 billion euros);
Netherlands — +72% (up to 498 million euros);
Growth was also recorded in Belgium, Croatia, Romania, and Portugal.
Ports in France, Spain and other countries are being used to receive liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia. Much of this gas is re-exported within the EU rather than consumed locally.
France, for example, has increased imports, partly by rerouting energy to Germany, according to the analytical company Kpler. The Dutch, in turn, explain that they cannot block contracts with Russia on their own – this requires a common EU legislative framework.
In total, the bloc significantly reduced volumes: from 133 billion euros in 2021 to 11.4 billion euros for January-August 2025 — which is 21% less than for the same period in 2024, according to CREA.
Individual countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, remain highly dependent — they imported 5 billion euros worth of Russian energy and will resist sanctions because they have long-term gas contracts until 2028.
Analysts also note: since 2022, the total volume of Russian purchases from the EU amounted to 213 billion euros, which exceeds the aid to Ukraine from the bloc (167 billion euros) over the same period, according to the Kiel Institute.
As a reminder, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said that Ankara will not stop purchasing Russian oil and gas, despite the demands of US President Donald Trump . He stressed that the government cannot leave citizens without fuel on the eve of winter and does not intend to dictate to private companies from whom to buy energy resources.
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