EU halves purchases of Russian pipeline gas and LNG in January

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. The European Union (EU) halved its total purchases of Russian gas in January to 948 mln euro, according to Eurostat data and TASS calculations.

EU countries paid 554 mln euro for Russian LNG in January. The largest importers were France (265 mln euro), Belgium (126 mln euro), and Spain (105 mln euro). The Netherlands purchased Russian LNG worth 57 mln euro. The EU also imported Russian pipeline gas totaling 394 mln euro in January.

In total, the European Union purchased approximately 948 mln euro worth of gas from Russia in January, which is twice lower than in the same month of 2025.

The share of Russian LNG in the European Union’s total liquefied gas imports stood at 21% in January. The United States ranked first with a 58% share.

The share of Russian pipeline gas in the EU’s total pipeline gas import value amounted to 13%. Norway ranked first with 46%, followed by Algeria with 24%, while Azerbaijan placed fourth with 9%.

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.