For the first time in two years, the EU has increased its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia. Russia supplied the EU with more than €1 billion worth of LNG in January alone.
According to Eurostat, the EU increased its imports of Russian natural gas in January by 17% compared to December, reaching €1.074 billion. This is the highest level of purchases since January 2023.
Purchases of Russian LNG by EU member states:
- France bought €455.2 million worth of gas, which is 13% more than the previous month and accounts for almost half of the total purchases.
- Spain is in second place, with imports of €261.5 million, which is 31.5% more.
- Belgium rounds out the top three with €256.7 million, 1.9 times higher than in December.
- The Netherlands also made a significant purchase, purchasing 100 million euros worth of gas, up from 98.5 million euros a month earlier.
- Italy and Portugal did not import any Russian gas in January.
