29 Jan 2025 (Meduza)

Why isn’t Europe cutting off Russian LNG?

Because, at the moment, there is simply no real alternative. As Sergey Vakulenko, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, has noted, there’s no surplus on the global LNG market. Meanwhile, since early 2025, Europe has lost 15 billion cubic meters of gas from its energy supply following the halt of Russian transit through Ukraine.

https://meduza.io/en/cards/europe-says-it-wants-to-ditch-russian-lng-so-why-did-imports-hit-a-record-high-last-year

by lire_avec_plaisir

5 comments

  1. It’s not specifically Russian LNG that they want to cut down on, so this framing is a bit misleading.

    Here’s the situation as of a year ago:

    > Overall, in 2023, Europe still imported 14.8% of its total gas supply from Russia, with 8.7% arriving via pipelines (25.1 billion cubic meters or bcm) and 6.1% as LNG (17.8 bcm). (For comparison, during the first quarter of 2021, 47% of Europe’s total gas supply came from Russia, 43% via pipeline and 4% as LNG.)

  2. I don’t get it, you are asking a question and giving the answer?

  3. Europe has massively reduced **GAS** imports to a tiny percentage of pre-war imports. This article talks about **LNG** which was a small part of the total volume of gas anyhow, as most came via pipeline. It’s sensationalism for clicks.

  4. Cause core European countries are still generally self-centered and concerned about inflation/rising costs? Merkel and Germany knew full well the whole “we can change Putin” rhetoric in the 2010’s was full of shit but did it anyways because they wanted to fuel growth.

    Sorta like how the US really “cares” about the Yemen situation when its clear they just need SA and Opec on their side.

  5. The political side of Europe wants to ditch Russian LNG, but the states are not the ones actually buying it, that is done by the market parties importing the volumes. These parties will do whatever is 1) allowed and 2)makes them the most profit. Only some have made reputation driven decisions to not import Russian molecules, most havent and dont care.

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