Russia Remains a Top Supplier of Gas to Europe Even as the EU Moves to Ban It

Russia ranked second only to the United States in the value of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplied to the European Union in April, the Russian state agency TASS reported, citing purchases of roughly 705 million euros worth of Russian LNG. The figure shows how dependent parts of Europe remain on Russian energy more than four years into a campaign to reduce it.

At the same time, the legal basis of that dependence is being contested. RBC reported that the operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Nord Stream 2 AG, has filed suit in a European Union court against the European Parliament and the Council of the EU over the regulation banning imports of Russian gas. The challenge tests whether the bloc can lawfully phase out a commercial supplier by statute.

The two developments capture a tension at the heart of European energy policy. Brussels has committed to ending Russian gas imports, yet seaborne LNG continues to flow because it remains commercially attractive to buyers and difficult to replace quickly.

The episode also fits Russia's broader effort to reorganize its commerce around arrangements less exposed to Western sanctions, while using Western courts where they may still offer leverage. Energy revenue remains central to Moscow's finances, and every cargo that reaches Europe complicates the bloc's stated goal of cutting that revenue off.