Europeans are still requesting millions of tonnes of gas from Russia
Russian state-backed oil-giant Gazprom continues to ship millions of tonnes of gas to Europe via Ukraine as requests for energy continue, albeit at a lower level than last year, according to a statement issued to Reuters.
In the statement, Gazprom announced that requests for gas stood at 57 million cubic meters for April 17, down from last week’s figure of 91.3 million cubic meters on April 8, also reported by Reuters.
Gazprom pays Naftogaz of Ukraine NJSC for the privilege of transiting some of its gas through the country. According to a statement by the Ukrainian state-owned group, Gazprom paid Naftogaz $2.11 billion in 2020 for transit services.
Data compiled by European think tank Breugel show that imports of Russian gas were 26% lower in the first week of April than in the same period in 2021, following a spike in the week after the invasion.
Europe relies on Russia for more than a third of its gas
Around 40% of gas consumed in Europe comes from Russia, according to the International Energy Agency. The EU announced restrictions on oil and gas imports after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and plans to reduce its dependence on Russian fuel by two thirds this year.
It has also axed its ambitious Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, as reported by Insider’s Bill Bostock. The pipeline, mostly owned by the Russian gas corporation Gazprom, cost 10 billion euros to build ($11.5 billion) and was meant to transport 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas each year.
The bloc ultimately wants to end its dependence on Russian gas by 2030 by boosting flows from other suppliers and building up renewable sources.
But Russia’s president Vladimir Putin does not consider the threat of a European ban on Russian energy as seriously as EU leaders perhaps might like.
“The so-called partners from unfriendly countries concede themselves that they won’t be able to make do without Russian energy resources, including without natural gas, for example,” Putin told a televised government meeting on April 14, reported by Reuters.
Indeed, a ban on Russian oil and gas has been met with steep resistance by European economies dependent on Russian sources. The EU is considering expanding its sanctions to include a ban on Russian coal instead.
Yet, experts suggest the EU could cope with such a ban. And last week, Putin’s former chief economic advisor Andrei Illarionov told the BBC’s Talking Business that completely stemming the flow of Russian gas and oil into Europe would put a stop to the war in “a matter of months.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said on April 7 that Europeans were paying for Russian gas with Ukrainian lives.
