Despite repeated calls from Washington and Kyiv to end energy trade with Moscow, several European Union countries have increased imports of Russian oil and gas in 2025, even as the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, according to data compiled by Reuters from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the EU has imported over €213 billion ($246 billion) worth of Russian energy — more than the €167 billion ($193 billion) it has provided to Ukraine in military, financial, and humanitarian aid.
While the EU has reduced its dependence on Russian energy by roughly 90% since 2022, imports between January and August 2025 were €11 billion ($12.7 billion) higher than during the same period last year. Seven of the 27 member states boosted their purchases.
France paid Russian suppliers €2.2 billion ($2.5 billion) in the first eight months of the year, a 40% increase. Roughly 40% of Russia’s state budget — funded in part by these sales — is directed toward the war effort and security services. The Netherlands increased purchases by 72% to €498 million ($576 million), though the absolute figure remains relatively small.
Hungary — often criticized for blocking stronger EU measures against Moscow — remained the bloc’s top buyer, importing over €3 billion ($3.5 billion) worth of oil and gas, up 11%. Along with Slovakia, which remains almost entirely dependent on Russian hydrocarbons despite a slight decrease, their combined imports exceeded €5 billion. Belgium (+3%), Croatia (+55%), Romania (+57%), and Portugal (+167%) also raised purchases.
The trend has drawn sharp criticism from former US President Donald Trump, who told the UN General Assembly in September that European nations are “funding the war against themselves.”
They buy oil and gas from Russia while fighting Russia, Trump said, urging European states to “immediately stop all energy purchases” from Moscow and impose 50–100% tariffs on Russian oil exports to India and China – Russia’s top buyers.
The EU banned Russian crude imports in December 2022, but Hungary and Slovakia secured exemptions, citing the need for more time to diversify supplies. Brussels aims to halt all Russian energy imports by 2028, but the European Commission now wants to accelerate that timeline — ending oil imports by late 2026 and pushing Budapest and Bratislava to act faster by imposing tariffs.
Pipeline gas deliveries have fallen due to Ukraine’s decision not to renew a transit agreement, but imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) have risen. The Commission plans to ban spot purchases of LNG from 2026, though long-term contracts remain in force due to the risk of heavy penalties. Energy companies are seeking legal grounds to declare force majeure and exit those deals.
Maritime importers such as France, Belgium, and Spain continue to receive Russian LNG and send it via pipeline to other EU countries. The bloc exited last winter with depleted gas reserves, keeping prices elevated amid fears of insufficient storage.