EU imports of Russian LNG plummet, with Belgium down to zero, report says

Editor's note: this article was updated to include additional information on EU LNG imports from the sanctions NGO Urgewald.

Belgium eliminated imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in August, driving an EU-wide reduction months ahead of a total ban, according to a new report published by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) think tank on Sept. 11.

"EU imports of Russian LNG fell 46% month-on-month to their lowest monthly volume since Russia's full-scale invasion began (in 2022)," reads CREA's latest report.

CREA's Europe-Russia Energy policy analyst Isaac Levi confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that Belgium imported no LNG from Russia in August. In July, 100% of Belgium's LNG imports came from Russia.

Belgium's weaning itself off Russian LNG leaves France, Spain, and the Netherlands as the remaining importers.

French ports accounted for 57% of the EU's total LNG imports. Levi explained that France's TotalEnergies energy company has an LNG import contract that will be terminated at the end of 2026.

From January 2027, imports of Russian LNG into the EU will be illegal under its REPowerEU regulation.

Despite the EU's continued reduction in imports of Russian fossil fuels, the bloc remains the largest buyer of Russian LNG, the CREA report notes.

According to CREA, the EU accounted for 49% of Russia's total LNG exports, nearly double that of the second-largest destination, China, at 24%.

A press release from the sanctions-monitoring NGO Urgewald, also published on Sept. 11, lambasts the EU for importing as much Russian LNG in the first eight months of 2026 as in the entire previous year.

"Europe says it is moving away from Russian energy. These figures show the opposite," said Urgewald's sanctions campaigner Alexander Kirk.

However, data provided to the Kyiv Independent by CREA show EU LNG imports falling from just over 1.8 million metric tons in March 2026 to around 500,000 metric tons in August.

CREA's report interprets the EU remaining Russia's top customer as a sign of "Moscow's dependence on a narrow set of key customers."

And there are signs Russia might be struggling with customers further afield.

CREA notes that "exports of oil products reported as destined for Australia from refineries running on Russian crude dropped 81% in value terms month-on-month."

In August, the Australian Senate began discussing how to tighten its own Russian sanctions, with tackling the import of Russia-derived oil products identified as a priority.