EU Purchased Almost €2bn Worth of Russian Gas in January

EU countries paid €1.07bn for liquefied natural gas (LNG), up 17% from December 2024. France was the main importer, paying €455 million. The European Union in January purchased Russian gas for €1.9bn, according to Eurostat data, gazeta.ru reported. The EU also imported €833 million worth of Russian pipeline gas in January, which is 10% less than in December 2024. However, we should note account that since January, EU countries could no longer export gas by pipeline through Ukraine. In turn, The Guardian newspaper notes that Europe spent more on purchasing Russian energy resources in 2024 than on supporting Ukraine. Before that, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU needed to give up Russian gas. It is necessary to eliminate loopholes that allow trading in Russian blue fuel, she said.