MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Russia ranked third after Norway and the United States in terms of the total value of gas supplies to the European Union in January, with a share of 16.5%, down from 18.7% in December 2025, according to Eurostat data and TASS calculations.
In total, the EU purchased 948 mln euro worth of gas from Russia in January.
The United States ranked second with its LNG supplies, accounting for 27% or 1.55 bln euro. Norway broke the long-standing dominance of the United States to take the top position with 27.3% and 1.56 bln euro. Algeria ranked fourth with a 13.4% share and supplies to Europe worth 770 mln euro. Azerbaijan rounded out the top five with a 5% share and 288 mln euro in supplies.
On EU’s phase-out of Russian gas
On January 26, the EU Council formally approved a full ban on Russian LNG supplies to the European Union starting January 1, 2027, and on pipeline gas starting September 30, 2027. At the same time, a ban on LNG imports under short-term contracts will take effect as early as April 25, 2026, while short-term contracts for pipeline gas supplies must be completed by June 17, 2026. The regulation enters into force upon its publication on February 2, 2026.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated that, given the European Union’s intention to fully abandon Russian gas, Russia could itself initiate an early exit from the European market and redirect supplies to other, more interested buyers. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Russian companies will soon redirect part of LNG supplies from Europe to friendly countries, including China, India, Thailand, and the Philippines, without waiting for further EU restrictions.
According to TASS calculations, Russia ranked second after the United States in terms of the value of EU LNG imports in 2025. Its share amounted to 16.1% (or 16.2% of the combined value of LNG and pipeline gas purchases). In terms of volumes, Russia accounted for about 14% of LNG imports to the EU (12.1% of total gas supplies, including pipeline gas). Russia’s total gas supplies to Europe last year amounted to 38 bln cubic meters, of which just over 20 bln cubic meters were LNG.