In the first half of 2026, the European Union (EU) imported a record volume of liquefied natural gas (LNG) — 9.89 million tons — from Russia's leading Yamal LNG project, increasing purchases to the highest ever. This was reported on July 13 by the Financial Times newspaper.
"The volume of purchases reached a record 9.89 million tons in the first six months of the year, which is 18% more than in the same period last year," the publication reports, citing statistics from the research company Kpler.
According to estimates by the German NGO Urgewald, European states have paid up to €6 billion for this volume of supplies. France, Belgium and Spain became the key importers of Yamal fuel, purchasing 3.6 million, 2.9 million and 2.7 million tons of gas, respectively.
The Bruegel analytical company reported on July 2 that the EU countries increased imports of Russian LNG by more than 10% in June compared to the same period of the previous year. By the end of June, the volume of Russian LNG supplies to EU countries reached 2.169 billion cubic meters.
The Financial Times newspaper noted on June 29 that Europe risks entering the heating season with the lowest gas reserves in the last 15 years, which threatens to increase prices for businesses and households in the coming winter. The situation is caused by the shutdown of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz due to the February escalation around Iran and the plans of the European Union to ban the import of Russian LNG from January 1, 2027.
