Greenpeace: Three European countries spent more on Russian LNG than on aid to Ukraine

Since 2022, France, Belgium, and Spain have spent more money on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) than they have provided financial assistance to Ukraine. About it says in a new report by Greenpeace.

According to the organization, these three countries together spent 34.3 billion euros on the purchase of Russian LNG between 2022 and June 2025. At the same time, their total support for Ukraine during this period amounted to €21.2 billion.

In the first half of 2025, the EU imported a total of 12.8 billion cubic meters of Russian LNG, which is 67% more than in the first half of 2021.

Yamal LNG is the main supplier of Russian liquefied natural gas to Europe. According to Greenpeace, in 2022-2024, it received 34 billion euros in revenue and paid about 8 billion euros in taxes to the Russian budget.

This money, according to estimates, would be enough to purchase 270,000 Shahed kamikaze drones, which Russia is actively using against Ukraine.

At the same time, the EU is increasing gas imports from the United States: while in 2021 its share was 28% of total LNG, in 2024 it will already be 45%.

Greenpeace warns that Europe risks replacing its dependence on Russian gas with dependence on American gas.

"Fracked gas from the US causes incredible damage to the climate and the health of local communities, and Trump will not hesitate to use gas imports as leverage to bully the EU if European households are vulnerable to this unstable market," said Greenpeace's Thomas Geline.

Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas (pipeline and liquefied natural gas) covered about 45% of Europe's energy needs. After 2022, the EU is trying to reduce its dependence on Russian energy and plans to completely abandon them by 2027. Only Slovakia and Hungary are against it.

• European Union increased purchases of Russian LNG by 29% in the first half of 2025.