Europe has reduced its dependence but hasn’t broken it. While Ukraine is on the front line, Russian gas still fills Putin’s pockets, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.
EU Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jørgensen, stated that despite a significant reduction in purchases, the European Union paid Russia €23 billion in 2024 for energy imports. This amount exceeds the financial aid Ukraine received from the EU under the Ukraine Facility, which totals $17.3 billion.
Before 2022, half of the coal imported into the EU came from Russia. Today — it’s zero. The share of Russian oil has dropped from 27% to 3%, and gas from 45% to 13%. Yet even these remnants still bring billions to the Kremlin.
The European Commission plans to completely phase out Russian gas by 2027 and all other Russian energy sources by 2030. To achieve this, member states must present their plans this year for gradually cutting ties with Russian energy dependence.
Separately, Jørgensen emphasized that the Nord Stream pipeline is no longer considered a viable option for supplying Russian gas to Europe — not even theoretically.
The European Commission is also stepping up efforts to crack down on Russian “shadow oil” that bypasses sanctions and continues to reach European markets through grey maritime shipping schemes.
Europe is moving in the right direction — but slowly. And Russia converts these billions into missiles every single day.
