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EU pays highest amount for Russian LNG in over one year in March

New data from Eurostat and Bruegel reveal that the European Union's imports of Russian liquefied natural gas reached a 14-month high in March, with Russia ranking second behind the US. Imports in the first quarter rose significantly year-on-year despite EU efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage May 13–19, 2026 Published Aug 13

EU's Russian LNG Imports Hit Multi-Month High in March, Data Shows

New data shows that the European Union's imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) reached a multi-month high in March, underscoring the bloc's continued reliance on Russian energy despite efforts to diversify. According to calculations based on Eurostat data, Russia ranked second among LNG suppliers to the EU in March, behind the United States.

The EU purchased around 933 million euros worth of Russian LNG in March, a 12.5% increase compared with the same month last year and the highest level since January 2025. Russia's share of EU LNG imports stood at 26.1% in March, while the US led with 43.6% and about 1.6 billion euros in imports.

Separate analysis from the Bruegel think tank, based on its own data, indicates that Russian LNG supplies to the EU totaled approximately 6.8 billion cubic meters (bcm) in the first quarter of 2026, up from about 5.7 bcm in the same period of 2025. For the January-April period, Russian supplies reached 8.98 bcm, an 18.5% increase year-on-year, according to Bruegel's calculations.

March saw a historic peak in Russian LNG deliveries to the EU, with 2.46 bcm supplied, according to Bruegel. The increase has been attributed in part to a suspension of shipments from the Middle East due to military conflict and the entry into force of regulations banning short-term contracts for Russian LNG in certain EU member states.

Overall EU LNG imports also rose in the first four months of 2026, reaching 51.46 bcm, up 5.3% from the same period last year. In April alone, the EU imported 12.28 bcm of LNG, which was 8% lower than in April 2025 and 13% below the record set in March 2026, when imports reached 14.1 bcm.

Supplies from the American direction—including the United States and Trinidad and Tobago—totaled 8 bcm in April, a 2.5% decline from March, according to Bruegel data.

The figures come amid ongoing EU efforts to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, as outlined in the REPowerEU plan. However, the data suggests that, at least in the short term, Russian LNG continues to play a significant role in meeting the bloc's energy needs.

Key Claims

March 2026 marked the highest monthly value of Russian LNG imports into the EU since January 2025, at approximately 933 million euros, according to Eurostat-based calculations.
Russia was the second-largest LNG supplier to the EU in March 2026, with a 26.1% share by value, behind the US at 43.6%.
Russian LNG supplies to the EU in the first quarter of 2026 reached about 6.8 bcm, up from 5.7 bcm in Q1 2025, according to Bruegel.
January–April 2026 Russian LNG deliveries totaled 8.98 bcm, an 18.5% year-on-year increase (Bruegel data).
Total EU LNG imports in January–April 2026 increased by 5.3% to 51.46 bcm, with April seeing a monthly decline from March's record level.
The rise in Russian LNG imports has been linked to reduced shipments from the Middle East due to conflict and the implementation of restrictions on short-term Russian LNG contracts in some EU countries (per Bruegel analysis).

Perspectives

The data, sourced from Eurostat and Bruegel, present a straightforward picture of LNG trade flows. Eurostat's official statistics provide the basis for the import value and market share figures, while Bruegel's methodology is commonly used by analysts tracking European gas markets. The reports do not include commentary on policy implications, but the numbers are consistent with recent analyses showing that Russia remains a major LNG supplier to Europe despite political tensions.

It's worth noting that the figures are preliminary and subject to revision. Additionally, the term "historic high" in the Bruegel data refers to the highest monthly volume on record, not necessarily all-time flows since Russia began exporting LNG to Europe.

Conclusion

As the EU continues to navigate its energy transition and geopolitical pressures, the latest data highlight the ongoing importance of Russian LNG in the short term. Whether this trend persists will depend on a range of factors, including market dynamics, infrastructure developments, and policy decisions in the coming months.

How this outlet told it

TASS — English as of May 19, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC

Framing: Russia's growing LNG imports to the EU — Informative

Facts Included:

Russia ranked second in LNG imports to the EU in March
Russia's LNG imports to the EU were worth 933 mln euros
Russia's LNG imports to the EU increased by 12.5% compared to last March
The US ranked first in LNG imports to the EU with a 43.6% share

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of May 13, 2026, 7:16 AM UTC

Framing: Growing Russian LNG supplies to the EU — Informative

Facts Included:

Russian LNG supplies to the EU in January-April totaled 8.98 bcm
Russian LNG supplies to the EU increased by 18.5%
EU imports of Russian LNG in the first quarter amounted to about 6.8 bcm
Total EU LNG imports in January-April increased by 5.3%

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimRussia ranked second in LNG imports to the EU in March, with a share of 26.1%.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 19, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC
ClaimThe European Union purchased around 933 mln euros worth of LNG from Russia in March, which is 12.5% higher than last March.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 19, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC
ClaimThe United States ranked first in LNG imports to the EU with a 43.6% share and 1.6 bln euros in March.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 19, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC
ClaimRussian LNG supplies to the EU in January-April totaled 8.98 bcm, increasing by 18.5%.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 13, 2026, 7:16 AM UTC
ClaimEU imports of Russian LNG in the first quarter amounted to about 6.8 bcm.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 13, 2026, 7:16 AM UTC
ClaimTotal EU LNG imports in January-April increased by 5.3% to 51.46 bcm.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 13, 2026, 7:16 AM UTC
ClaimLNG supplies to the EU from the US and Trinidad and Tobago totaled 8 bcm in April.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 13, 2026, 7:16 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: TASS — English 7 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-13