In the immediate aftermath of the invasion much was made of the dramatic steps taken against Russia. Swift cut off Russian banks. Except for the largest Russian bank and the offshore subsidies of the rest. Think London. It was all show. Energy was cut off as well. Though a VLCC was tracked heading to China two weeks later and it was all perfectly legal. Putin has been the same threat for two decades. Germany never cared. They filled his coffers while looking to train his troops. Poland took the Russian threat seriously. Few other European countries do.
Unfortunately, I think that's largely true. Germany dragged its feet under Scholz on everything from freezing Russia's official FX reserves to SWIFT exclusion. The question now is whether Merz is any better. The jury on that is out, i.e. on whether action actually follows words. I wish the EU countries did a better job as a whole, but German is a leader and has really dropped the ball...
In 2024, **EU imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) were valued at nearly €7 billion**[3]. The bloc imported a record amount, at least **16.65 million tonnes of Russian LNG**, marking the highest level since Russian LNG production ramped up at major facilities like Novatek's Yamal[4].
Monthly import volumes fluctuated throughout the year, with figures such as **1.1 billion cubic meters in November 2024**[5]. Despite ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy, the EU continued substantial LNG imports from Russia during 2024.
In the immediate aftermath of the invasion much was made of the dramatic steps taken against Russia. Swift cut off Russian banks. Except for the largest Russian bank and the offshore subsidies of the rest. Think London. It was all show. Energy was cut off as well. Though a VLCC was tracked heading to China two weeks later and it was all perfectly legal. Putin has been the same threat for two decades. Germany never cared. They filled his coffers while looking to train his troops. Poland took the Russian threat seriously. Few other European countries do.
Unfortunately, I think that's largely true. Germany dragged its feet under Scholz on everything from freezing Russia's official FX reserves to SWIFT exclusion. The question now is whether Merz is any better. The jury on that is out, i.e. on whether action actually follows words. I wish the EU countries did a better job as a whole, but German is a leader and has really dropped the ball...
It’s even more blatant than that
In 2024, **EU imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) were valued at nearly €7 billion**[3]. The bloc imported a record amount, at least **16.65 million tonnes of Russian LNG**, marking the highest level since Russian LNG production ramped up at major facilities like Novatek's Yamal[4].
Monthly import volumes fluctuated throughout the year, with figures such as **1.1 billion cubic meters in November 2024**[5]. Despite ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy, the EU continued substantial LNG imports from Russia during 2024.
Sources
[1] Russian gas imports to the EU jump by 18% in 2024, despite plan ... https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/russian-gas-imports-to-the-eu-jump-by-18-in-2024-despite-plan-for-2027-phase-out/
[2] Where does the EU's gas come from? - Consilium.europa.eu https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/where-does-the-eu-s-gas-come-from/
[3] EU Countries Spent Close to €7bn on Russian LNG in 2024 https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/eu-countries-spent-close-eu7bn-russian-lng-2024
[4] EU Imports More Russian LNG in 2024 Than Ever Before, Mostly ... https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/eu-imports-more-russian-lng-2024-ever-mostly-arctic
[5] EU: monthly LNG imports from Russia 2025 - Statista https://www.statista.com/statistics/1288252/monthly-lng-imports-from-russia-to-the-eu/
[6] EU plans to end Russian gas imports by end of 2027 - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c04547pr9vqo
[7] Europe urgently needs a common strategy on Russian gas - Bruegel https://www.bruegel.org/analysis/europe-urgently-needs-common-strategy-russian-gas
[8] The final push for EU Russian gas phase-out - Ember https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-final-push-for-eu-russian-gas-phase-out/
[9] Commission proposes gradual phase-out of Russian gas and oil ... https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1504
Excellent analysis, thank u!