Austria is sometimes harshly criticized for importing Russian natural gas. What is currently missing, however, is that EU imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia are growing rapidly. Record amounts are now flowing into Europe, according to a report by the non-governmental organization Global Witness. It is based on data from the raw material information provider Kepler.
According to Global Witness, 22 million cubic meters of liquefied natural gas were transported by ship from Russia to EU countries in the first seven months of this year. This is about 40 percent more than the same period in 2021, before the attack. The value of these imports is around 5.3 billion Euros. French energy giant Total is now Russia’s biggest liquefied gas customer abroad, with 4.1 million cubic meters of imports since the beginning of the year.
eXXpress drew attention to a paradoxical development in July: countries that previously consumed little of Russian gas have now become the most dependent on it. More and more LNG tankers from Russia are stopping in Spanish ports. To meet the shortfall of Russian pipeline gas, companies in Spain, Belgium and France in particular are increasingly relying on Russian LNG. They have increased their imports a lot.
N-TV coyly states: “This makes the EU as the largest LNG customer ever for Russia.” Spain and Belgium each import about 7.5 and about 7 million barrels of Russian LNG, respectively. They have become the world’s second and third largest buyers of Russian liquefied gas, after the People’s Republic of China.
The sanctions resulted in the gradual cessation of imports of many Russian raw materials – including coal, crude oil and diesel. Unlike other countries, Austria continues to be supplied with gas from Russia through pipelines. However, there are currently no restrictions on Russian LNG.
The NGO criticizes this development: “While European companies condemn the war, they continue to fill Putin’s war chest,” explained Jonathan Noronha-Gant, energy expert at Global Witness. Ultimately you have to ask yourself to what extent restrictions in this form make sense. “Buying Russian liquefied gas has the same effect as buying Russian oil,” notes N-TV. Of course: the import ban for Russian LNG could once again become a blow to Europe’s energy market with an explosion in prices.
As an exporter of raw materials, Russia is also setting a new record in the United States – eXXpress reported. In the first half of the year, the US bought 416 tons of uranium from Russia, more than double the amount in the previous year. Russia now accounts for 32 percent of total uranium imports. It raised $695.5 million, the most since 2002.
