The European Union imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia worth approximately 4.48 billion euros in the first half of this year, an increase compared to the same period last year when the value of Russian LNG deliveries was 3.47 billion euros, according to the European statistical office.
In the first six months of 2025, the total value of LNG imports into the EU amounted to approximately 26.9 billion euros. About half of the imports, valued at 13.7 billion euros, were delivered from the United States.
The United States was also the largest European supplier of LNG in 2024, with a share of 45 percent of the total imports of this energy source into the Union, reported the European Commission.
While the EU has imposed sanctions on the import of Russian oil and coal, gas imports have so far remained exempt from sanctions, as some member states still heavily depend on Russian gas, which arrives in the Union in the form of LNG, as well as through pipelines, including the TurkStream.
However, Russian gas could join oil and coal, as the European Commission has drafted plans for a complete halt to Russian gas imports by 2028.
According to the European Commission’s proposal, the ban on imports under new contracts will come into effect on January 1, 2026, while deliveries under existing short-term contracts must be canceled by June 17, 2026.
Gas imports under long-term contracts will be banned from January 1, 2028, according to the proposal that still needs to be approved by the European Parliament and member states.
The measures require the support of at least 15 out of 27 member states representing at least 65 percent of the Union’s population.
