Ukrainian FM urges EU to ban, replace Russian LNG imports

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the European Union must be banned and replaced with supplies from the United States and other partners.

"There is enough LNG gas on the market to not fund the criminal Russian regime with its agression, war crimes, and hybrid attacks," Sybiha wrote on X on Dec. 29.

Sybiha’s statement came in response to a recent Financial Times report stating that Russian LNG imports to the EU "reached a record high" in 2024.

According to the Financial Times, as of mid-December, the EU imported a record 16.5 million tonnes of Russian LNG, surpassing last year’s total of 15.18 million tonnes. The report noted the amount also exceeded the previous record of 15.21 million tonnes imported in 2022, citing data from analytics firm Kpler.

In his statement, Sybiha called the imports "unacceptable" and reiterated that they should be replaced with supplies from the U.S. and other partners.

On Dec. 27, Ukraine received its first shipment of U.S. LNG, which arrived via a terminal in Greece.

While LNG exports have faced fewer sanctions than oil, recent restrictions have begun tightening around the sector. In June, the EU imposed historic sanctions on the Russian gas industry, including its first ban on LNG transshipment.

However, while some EU countries like Germany no longer import Russian LNG directly, the German state energy company SEFE has a long-term contract with Russia's Yamal facility. The supplies from Yamal are routed to France before being fed into the European pipeline system.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen brought up the matter of Russian LNG in a phone conversation with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump shortly after his Nov. 5 victory.

Von der Leyen said she floated the idea of replacing Russian LNG with more imports from the U.S.

"We still get a whole lot of LNG via Russia, from Russia," she said. "And why not replace it with American LNG, which is cheaper, and brings down our energy prices?"

Ukraine receives 1st shipment of US LNG

“Despite Russia’s attempts to destroy our energy system during the war, we have won another victory on the energy front,” Andriy Yermak, head of the Presidential Office, said on Dec. 28.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert