EU wants to stop Russian gas – and imports LNG for 7.9 billion euros

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents EU wants to stop Russian gas – and imports LNG for 7.9 billion euros.

The EU wants to put an end to Russian gas – in principle. When it comes to LNG, however, the ban only kicks in later, and Brussels is using precisely this gap for purchases on a massive scale, according to Focus. The volume of imported quantities is said to amount to 7.9 billion euros.

What sounds like a political contradiction follows a sober mechanism: what is still legal to import is also being imported. As long as the transition period is running, LNG from Russia continues to flow into the EU – and with it, billions.

What this means for you: Even an embargo that has long been politically decided leaves a time window open in practice where purchases pay off – for both sides.

Pipeline gas stopped, LNG with longer deadline

Over the past years, the EU has gradually halted imports of Russian pipeline gas. For liquefied natural gas, however, a longer transition period applies, according to Focus. The report makes clear: as long as this period is running, purchases remain possible. And that is exactly what is happening right now – on a scale that Focus describes as "enormous quantities."

The number behind the headline

7.9 billion euros is no minor line item. The magnitude makes it visible that the EU continues to rely on Russian LNG even after the political exit decision. For Russia, this means revenues that, according to the EU's own course, are actually supposed to dry up soon. Precisely this juxtaposition – ban and volume – is what makes the story a headline.

What the 7.9 billion doesn't say

Which member states bear the largest share, which contracts enable the billion-euro flow, and when the final cut-off falls – none of this can be conclusively answered from the available information. What remains clear: the transition period is the gateway through which Russian LNG continues to reach the EU. And as long as it stays open, the import statistics fill up with what the EU actually wants to end politically.