Greenpeace Study Shows EU Paid Russia More for Gas Than Aid to Ukraine

According to Greenpeace, four EU countries – France, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands – paid Russia for gas more than they gave to Ukraine during the full-scale invasion.

According to Greenpeace’s study “The LNG Trap: Europe’s Dependence on Russia and the United States in Fossil Fuels,” from 2022 to 2025 these countries bought liquefied natural gas from Russia totaling €34.3 billion, while in the same period they sent to Ukraine a total of €21.2 billion.

“Despite their efforts, EU members continue to import Russian fossil gas to this day. As pipeline gas supplies were reduced, LNG shipments by tankers have increased in recent years, continuing to bring billions from Europe to Russia”

Key Findings from Greenpeace’s Study

The main supplier to Europe is the Yamal LNG company. According to Greenpeace estimates, from 2022 to 2024 its revenue from selling fuel to Europe was about $40 billion, after which roughly $9.5 billion in taxes flowed into Russia’s budget.

From this money, Russia could theoretically finance the production of 9.5 million 152 mm artillery shells, or 271 thousand Shahed drones, or 2,686 T-90M battle tanks, the study authors calculated.

“Aiming to sever ties with the Kremlin, Europe has found itself bound by long-term gas supply contracts with the United States. This makes the continent largely dependent on another supplier whose reliability is increasingly uncertain, and its unpredictable president Donald Trump”

The EU announced plans to phase out Russian liquefied gas from January 2027 and a full ban on transactions with Russian energy companies Rosneft and Gazpromneft as part of the EU’s 19th package of sanctions, presented on September 19 by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

According to Greenpeace, moving away from Russian energy resources threatens the EU with a shift to a similar dependence on the United States. In the first half of 2025, LNG imports from the United States to the EU amounted to 52.7 billion cubic meters, noted in the organization’s study.

According to the study, the situation in which the EU and its member states rely on the United States and sign long-term contracts for American gas is paradoxical: in trying to sever ties with the Kremlin, Europe effectively ends up dependent on another supplier and its policies.

On September 23, Ursula von der Leyen stated that Europe would definitively abandon Russian fossil fuels by 2027. Meanwhile, during a speech at the UN General Assembly, Donald Trump again criticized the EU for importing energy resources from Russia, accusing Europe of financing the war and urging changes to the insurance schemes for dealing with Russia.