{"id":1129,"date":"2026-05-16T02:39:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1129"},"modified":"2026-05-16T02:39:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:39:45","slug":"eu-buys-record-volumes-of-russian-lng-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1129","title":{"rendered":"EU buys record volumes of Russian LNG \u2013 report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imports surged 16% in Q1 2026 amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, according to industry think-tank IEEFA<\/strong><\/p>\n

The EU\u2019s imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) has reached a record high this year, amid the growing energy crisis triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran, according to a report by a US-based energy think tank.<\/p>\n

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) reports that the bloc\u2019s imports jumped 16% year on year in January-March, with France, Spain, and Belgium accounting for most deliveries. Russia remains the EU\u2019s second-largest LNG supplier, despite the bloc aiming to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, it noted.<\/p>\n

EU countries spent \u20ac5.9 billion ($6.9 billion) on Russian pipeline gas and \u20ac6.7 billion on Russian LNG in 2025, according to the report. Russia accounted for about 13% of the EU\u2019s combined natural gas and LNG imports in 2025, according to previous data.<\/p>\n

IEEFA said that the rise in imports was partly driven by disruptions in global LNG markets linked to reduced maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which curtailed Qatari exports and increased the EU\u2019s reliance on other major suppliers.
<\/em><\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
\u2018Are we idiots?\u2019: Fico on EU pivot away from Russian fuel (VIDEO)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe war in the Middle East has left Europe more reliant on its two largest LNG suppliers, the US and Russia,\u201d<\/em> said Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, lead energy analyst at IEEFA.<\/p>\n

The report said that the EU is risking a dependence on American LNG as Washington looks set to overtake Norway as the bloc\u2019s largest gas supplier in 2026 and could account for 80% of EU LNG imports by 2028. American LNG is on average the most expensive for European buyers, the report added.<\/p>\n

The latest developments have prompted some EU politicians to step up calls to reconsider sanctions on Russia. Despite growing political pressure over energy costs, however, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen has insisted the bloc will continue phasing out Russian LNG imports and expand purchases from alternative suppliers, including the US.<\/p>\n

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\n READ MORE: <\/span>EU \u2018not competitive\u2019 \u2013 Belgian central bank chief
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Moscow, meanwhile, has argued that European countries will eventually be forced to restore energy ties with Russia. Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev said EU policy under what he called \u201cRussophobic politicians\u201d<\/em> risked deindustrializing the bloc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imports surged 16% in Q1 2026 amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, according to industry think-tank IEEFA The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1129\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}