EU countries still buy natural gas from Russia.

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

The Gazprom CEO did not provide any details about the volume of Russian gas that EU countries are receiving, saying that portions of the gas flowing through the pipeline "do not carry national characteristics."

Miller said, "But we know that Russian gas is supplied to many countries that have declared they refuse to consume it."

The Gazprom CEO did not name which of the 27 EU countries continue to receive natural gas from Russia, but said that " Russia is now transporting natural gas through Ukraine to the Baumgarten hub in Austria," one of the largest in Europe.

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

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

He said, "Of course, Russian gas still flows into the European market, and in considerable quantities," adding that the fuel "is consumed even by countries that claim their national markets are gas-free."

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

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

Amid declining supplies from Russia, the bloc has had to increase its purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG). By the end of 2022, the EU was ranked as the world's largest buyer of this fuel, surpassing long-standing buyers such as China, Japan, and South Korea.

Last year, the US became a major 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 seeking to overcome its dependence on Russian oil and gas, adding that Moscow had reduced its gas exports to the bloc by 80%. Similar statements were also made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Phuong Anh (Source: RT)

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