According to the Romanian edition of HotNews.ro, Reuters has analyzed energy supplies from Russia and concluded that military aid to Ukraine by many EU countries is compensated by energy payments to Moscow. In particular, Romania’s imports of Russian energy products have increased by 57% this year. The Romanian government did not respond to Reuters’ queries regarding the increase in supplies.
HotNews.ro notes that the EU has reduced its dependence on Russia, once the dominant energy supplier, by about 90% since 2022. Nevertheless, according to Reuters analysis, the EU imported more than 11 billion euros worth of Russian energy in the first eight months of this year.
Seven of the 27 EU member states increased the value of their imports compared to the previous year. France, for example, increased its purchases of Russian energy products by 40 percent, to €2.2 billion, while the Netherlands increased its purchases by 72 percent, to €498 million, the analysis shows.
Although ports with liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure in countries such as France and Spain serve as entry points for Russian supplies into Europe, the gas is often not consumed in those countries but shipped to buyers across the Union. The cost of imported Russian LNG accounts for almost half of the total cost of purchasing gas from Russia.
The European Commission declined to comment for Reuters on the 2025 import figures. The European Commission’s energy chief said last month that the phase-out of Russian fossil fuel purchases was intended to ensure member states do not face higher energy prices or supply shortages.
According to data from a research center in Helsinki cited by Reuters, the European Union’s total imports of Russian energy products since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, amounted to more than 213 billion euros.
This amount is significantly higher than the amount spent by the EU on aid to Ukraine over the same period, although it remains the country’s largest benefactor: according to the Kiel Institute, a German economic think tank, the EU has given Kiev 167 billion euros in financial, military and humanitarian aid.
