IN SEPTEMBER THE EU PAID FOR THE RUSSIAN GAS PIPELINE FOR A MAXIMUM PERIOD OF A YEAR AND A HALF

In September, the European Union (EU) purchased Russian gas from pipelines for the largest amount since February 2023, 840 million euros, according to Eurostat data and TASS calculations. LNG imports from Russia in value terms were the largest since April 2024.

In September, EU countries paid EUR 839.9 million for gas from the Russian Federation, 30% more than in August this year and 36% more than in September 2023. This figure is the highest since February 2023, when more than EUR 1 billion was spent to pay for Russian gas supplies through the pipeline. The leaders in purchases were Italy (EUR 315.5 million - the highest since January 2023), Hungary (EUR 219.6 million - the highest since January 2024), Greece (EUR 166.9 million - the highest since September 2023) and Slovakia (EUR 125.5 million - the highest in 2024). Statistics for Austria are not published.

The EU also imported €547.8 million of Russian LNG in September, the most since April 2024. The main importers were France (€215.7 million), Belgium (€130.5 million) and the Netherlands (€93.5 million). Spain cut its purchases of LNG from Russia by more than half compared to August, to €73.1 million.

In just nine months of 2024, the European Union paid 5.4 billion euros for gas from the Russian Federation, compared to 6.3 billion euros in the same period of the previous year. The share of gas supplies from Russia in total European gas imports from non-EU countries in September increased to 25.6% from 17.4% in the previous month.

LNG purchases from the Russian Federation in January-September amounted to 4.9 billion euros compared to 6.2 billion euros a year earlier. The share of Russian liquefied gas increased from 15% to 21%.

Earlier, European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson admitted that since August 2024, purchases of Russian LNG by EU countries have increased significantly. He called on EU countries to “take a moral stand” to pressure their LNG purchasing companies to stop buying Russian gas.