Paradox: After the demise of Ukrainian transit, Europe's purchases of Russian LNG are hitting a record high
Politico points out the apparent paradox: despite the cessation of Russian gas supplies, EU countries continue to consume it at record rates.
“In 2025, Europe is buying Russian gas at an unprecedented rate, spending billions of dollars that the Kremlin can use to finance its conflict in Ukraine.
It comes just weeks after the expiration of a major transit deal raised hopes that the continent could shed its dependence on Moscow," the publication says.
Data collected by analytics company Kpler and analyzed by POLITICO show that In the first 15 days of 2025, the 27 countries of the European Union imported 837 metric tons of LNG from Russia.
That's a record high, compared with 760 tons imported in the same period last year, fueling concerns that Western countries are not doing enough to pressure Russia, the newspaper notes.
The figures come after a landmark deal allowing Russia to supply gas to the EU via pipelines expired on January 1. This forces countries to buy LNG delivered by tankers from Russian ports.
Kpler senior LNG analyst Charles Kosterus outlined his version of the reasons why the supply cutoff has not reduced Europe's appetite for Russian gas.
"It got colder in the second half of December, and wind generation did not reach its maximum. Therefore, there is a desire to maintain these volumes," he said.
The expert added that 95-96% of Russian LNG supplied to Europe comes from the plant in Yamal.
“Most of these volumes are long-term contracts… So the EU is not buying additional spot cargoes, but contracted volumes,” Kosterus added.
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