EU Imports of Russian LNG Rise Despite Ban Plans, Boosting Moscow’s Revenue

European Union imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) climbed in June, rising 14 percent compared to the same month last year, according to data from the energy think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The increase pushed Moscow’s revenues from selling the super-chilled fuel to approximately 60 million euros per day, complicating Brussels’ stated policy objective to completely phase out Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027.

According to CREA’s analysis, the volume of Russian LNG reaching European ports has stayed at elevated levels, driven primarily by shipments originating from the Yamal LNG terminal in the Russian Arctic.

France emerged as the leading destination for the June surge in Russian LNG shipments. CREA data cited by media reports showed that import volumes at the Montoir-de-Bretagne methane terminal on France’s Atlantic coast quadrupled in June compared to the preceding month of May.

Global Supply Tightness and the Strait of Hormuz Factor

International market dynamics have exacerbated Europe’s continued reliance on Russian LNG. Geopolitical tensions centered around Iran and restricted commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz constrained output from key exporting nations such as Qatar, one of the world’s largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas.

Data compiled by the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel indicates that Russian natural gas accounted for 13.4 percent of total EU gas imports during the second quarter. That figure shows virtually no change from the proportional levels recorded throughout the preceding two years, demonstrating a stubborn baseline of dependency.

In the first half of the year, EU member states received 136 separate cargoes totaling 9.97 million metric tons of LNG directly from the Yamal facility. Before the 2022 escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia supplied nearly 50 percent of Europe’s total natural gas requirements, predominantly via subterranean pipelines such as Nord Stream and Yamal-Europe.

Shifting Import Geographies Across the Continent

To replace lost pipeline volumes, European utilities turned heavily toward North American shale exporters and Norwegian offshore fields. Bruegel’s market tracking shows that Norway and the United States now account for roughly 60 percent of total European natural gas imports. Algeria and Russia follow in subsequent tiers, each securing notable market shares as Europe balances security of supply against political commitments.