Despite the ban, EU countries are increasing purchases of Russian gas: FT reveals details

Germany is increasing its purchases of Russian LNG (liquefied natural gas) through ports in other EU countries, despite the official ban on direct deliveries. The lack of transparency in the EU energy market allows for the "whitewashing" of Russian gas, which makes it difficult to fight dependence on Russian fuel.

According to the Financial Times, in 2024, the German national energy company Sefe purchased 58 cargoes of Russian LNG through the French port of Dunkirk. This is more than six times more than in 2023.

Although Germany officially banned the import of Russian LNG through its ports in November 2024, Russian gas continues to enter the country through intermediaries. The energy ministers of France, Belgium, and Spain, whose ports receive LNG cargoes, say that most of this gas is supplied to other EU countries, including Germany.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU has set a course to wean itself off fossil fuels from Russia. According to the plans, all energy resources from Russia should be excluded from the EU market by 2027.

However, imports of Russian LNG reached a record level in 2024. As noted by environmental organizations Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Urgewald, and Ukraine's Razom We Stand, Germany still receives from 3 to 9.2% of gas from Russia, which is supplied through other EU countries.

The EU's internal gas market faces a lack of transparency, which allows countries to "whitewash" Russian LNG. For example, gas from Belgian ports is often labeled as "Belgian" in official German databases, despite the fact that Belgium does not produce gas.

According to Angelos Koutsis of the Bond Beter Leefmilieu think tank, this situation allows EU countries to avoid responsibility for supporting demand for Russian LNG. "Imports through other ports actually "whitewash" Russian gas," the expert adds.

Tracking the source of gas remains a challenge for the EU. Gas market expert Tom Marzec-Mancer notes that once gas is transported through the European network, it becomes almost impossible to determine its origin.

To ensure transparency, each shipper must declare the origin of gas. This will require considerable effort and put an additional burden on the EU energy system.

In October 2024, France and nine other EU countries called for the publication of data on Russian LNG suppliers and volumes delivered to ports. However, the lack of a unified approach to regulating this issue continues to complicate the fight against Russian influence on the energy market.

Sefe, formerly owned by Russia's Gazprom, does not disclose its purchases. However, it has a long-term contract with the Russian Yamal LNG project, which allows it to buy Russian LNG through intermediaries.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Russia will not be able to implement the Arctic LNG 2 liquefied natural gas project in full. Due to the sanctions imposed by the United States, the equipment without which the third production line of the plant cannot be built has returned to China.

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