RT عربي35 minutes agoBusiness1 min readArgentina

Grushko announces a decline in Russian gas supplies to the European Union

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Russian LNG supplies to the EU have fallen significantly compared to previous records, Alexander Grushko said, noting that the EU purchased nearly 10 million tons from the Yamal project between January and June 2026, an 18% increase from last year, while a Russian gas import ban will gradually come into effect starting in April 2026.

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Why It Matters

The European Union is gradually imposing a ban on Russian gas imports in response to geopolitical tensions, with an LNG ban on short-term contracts in place from April 2026 and long-term contracts from January 2027, and a pipeline gas ban from June 2026 for short-term contracts and November 2027 for long-term contracts.

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“In terms of the overall picture, LNG is going,” Grushko said on the sidelines of the concluded East Economic Forum.

He also noted that the volume of gas supplies to the European Union today is much lower than previous records, when Russia's share in the EU's gas balance was about 40%.

The Financial Times reported earlier, citing analyst data, that the European Union purchased nearly 10 million tons of gas from the Yamal LNG project between January and June 2026.

According to the newspaper, this represents an 18% increase compared to the same period last year.

The European Union Council earlier approved a regulation to phase out imports of Russian liquefied natural gas and pipeline gas.

The ban on LNG imports under short-term contracts entered into force on April 25, 2026, and under long-term contracts on January 1, 2027. As for the ban on pipeline gas imports, it entered into force on June 17, 2026 for short-term contracts, and on November 1, 2027 for long-term contracts.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

The European Union will continue to reduce dependence on Russian gas as they seek to diversify energy sources
Likely · Within months

Open Questions

What alternatives will the European Union use to compensate for the Russian gas shortage?
How will these restrictions affect global natural gas prices?
Will Russia seek to redirect its supplies to other markets such as Asia?