BRUSSELS, July 3. /TASS/. The European Union faces significant challenges in fully phasing out Russian energy resources by 2027, according to the Euractiv news portal, which noted that Russian energy supplies continue to flow into the European market.

According to its data, several EU member states, including Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria, are still importing Russian uranium for their nuclear power plants. This dependence stems not only from existing infrastructure but also from political factors, as Slovakia and Hungary are blocking the adoption of a new sanctions package, Euractiv reported.

The portal further noted that in 2024, the EU spent nearly 22 bln euro on Russian fossil fuel imports, only 1% less than the previous year. This amount exceeds the 18.7 bln euro in financial aid the EU provided to Ukraine during the same period.

In May 2022, the European Union launched the REPowerEU program aimed at eliminating dependence on Russian gas by 2027. However, the cost of Russian LNG purchases by the EU has increased almost 4.6 times over the past three years due to rising prices. Before 2022, Russian gas accounted for 40% of total EU gas imports, falling to around 15% by 2023, but rising again in 2024 to nearly 19%, sparking concern in Brussels.

In the first four months of 2025, the EU purchased approximately 5.4 bln euro worth of gas from Russia, up 17% from the same period in 2024. During this period, Russian LNG purchases amounted to 3.3 bln euro, compared with 2.5 bln euro a year earlier, while pipeline gas imports from Russia totaled 2.1 bln, euro down slightly from 2.2 bln euro in 2024. Overall, from January to April 2025, Russia’s share of EU gas imports stood at 16.5%, making it the bloc’s second-largest supplier after the United States.