EU countries still buy Russian gas

In an interview with Russian state television Rossiya-1, Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller said that some EU countries that previously claimed they had completely stopped buying Russian gas were still receiving fuel from the country.

Gazprom's chief executive did not provide any details about the volumes of Russian gas EU countries are receiving, saying the gas portions flowing through the pipeline “do not carry national colour”.

“But we know that Russian gas is supplied to many countries that have declared their refusal to consume it,” Miller said.

Gazprom's CEO did not name which of the 27 EU countries continue to receive natural gas from Russia, but said that “ Russia is currently transporting natural gas via Ukraine to the Austrian Baumgarten hub,” one of the largest in Europe.

“This is a very large European hub supplying gas to other countries across the EU,” said Miller.

According to Gazprom CEO, under existing contracts, Russia continues to supply gas to countries in southern and southeastern Europe.

“Of course, Russian gas still flows into the European market, and the volumes are not small,” he said, pointing out that the fuel “is consumed even by those countries that declare that their national markets do not have gas.”

In 2022, Russian gas supplies to the EU market began to decline due to the destruction of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline and the refusal of several EU member states to pay for their fuel in rubles, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Bulgaria and Finland.

In response to EU sanctions last year, Moscow demanded that countries supporting the international campaign of restrictions on Russia pay for Russian gas in rubles instead of dollars or euros.

As supplies from Russia fall, the bloc is forced to ramp up purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG). By the end of 2022, the EU is expected to be the world’s largest buyer of the fuel, surpassing long-time buyers such as China, Japan and South Korea.

Last year, the US became the largest exporter of LNG to the EU market, while Russia increased its LNG exports by 20%.

Earlier this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was working to overcome its dependence on Russian oil and gas, adding that Moscow had reduced its gas exports to the bloc by 80 percent. Similar statements were made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Phuong Anh (Source: RT)

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