EU imports more Russian gas than US for the first time in two years
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Between April and June, the EU imported approximately 12.7 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia, surpassing the 12.3 billion cubic meters imported from the US.
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The gas pumping station at Sudzhe, Russia, seen on Jan. 11, 2009 (AP)
For the first time in nearly two years, EU countries have imported more natural gas from Russia than from the US in a single quarter, according to data reported by the Brussels-based consultancy Bruegel. This shift in energy sourcing was reported by the German news outlet ZDF on Sunday.
Between April and June, the EU imported approximately 12.7 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia, surpassing the 12.3 billion cubic meters imported from the US.
This marks a notable change compared to the first quarter of 2024, where imports from Russia decreased slightly, while those from the US dropped more significantly. The German newspaper Welt first reported these figures.
Despite this shift, Norway remains the largest gas supplier to the EU, providing 23.9 billion cubic meters of gas in the second quarter. Russia held the top spot as the EU's primary gas supplier until the start of the war in early 2022, which led many EU nations to reduce their imports from Russia.
According to data from the German Federal Statistical Office, Germany has ceased importing Russian gas altogether.
Read more: Germany still purchases Russian gas via Netherlands, Belgium
With Russia now narrowly ahead of the US as the EU's second-largest gas supplier, this development has reignited discussions on the EU's energy dependence and geopolitical strategy.
Notably, CDU foreign policy politician Norbert Röttgen has called for an EU-wide ban on Russian gas imports.
In an interview with Welt, Röttgen argued, "The Europeans are supporting Ukraine with billions while simultaneously paying billions into Putin's war chest. This is neither responsible, rational, nor credible."
Michael Kruse, the energy policy spokesperson for the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag, also weighed in on the issue, proposing that the EU could levy a fixed charge on each cubic meter of Russian gas imported to fund aid and weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
"This way, Putin would end up paying for the resistance against his barbaric attacks himself," Kruse stated.
Read more: Russia urges Germany to fully disclose intel on Nord Stream bombings
