ROME, July 13. /TASS/. The European Union spent more money on the purchase of Russian gas than on assistance to Ukraine in 2024, Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen told La Repubblica in an interview.
"Back in 2024, we spent more than the total amount of aid to Ukraine on gas purchases from Russia," he said, calling it a "paradox."
He confirmed the European Commission's goal to abandon Russian gas completely by 2027. He also noted the need to develop alternative renewable and nuclear energy "not to fall into a new dependence."
"We must be careful not to repeat the mistake and move from one dependence to another, so we are diversifying our energy supplies. Now Norway is our first gas supplier, followed by the United States, and at the moment we are satisfied with this. But while we are dependent on these supplies, we are trying to get them at a lower price and are negotiating with the United States to increase volumes, but this has a limited duration, as we intend to overcome this dependence through renewable sources and nuclear energy," Jorgensen said.
In his opinion, this will help reduce prices for European consumers. He also said that the goal remains to stop using fossil fuels by 2050.
Earlier, the European Commission proposed to completely ban the EU countries from purchasing pipeline and liquefied natural gas from Russia by the end of 2027. The ban will begin to take effect in stages from January 1, 2026.