In December 2025, the European Union remained the fourth largest importer of Russian fossil fuels in the world. During this month, five leading EU countries paid a total of €1.4 billion to the Russian Federation. The majority of these purchases, specifically 79%, consisted of natural gas, which was not subject to European sanctions. The remaining volumes were attributed to crude oil, which continued to flow to Hungary and Slovakia via the “Druzhba” pipeline.
This is reported by Finway
Major Importing Countries and Purchase Volumes
In the EU, Hungary was the largest importer of Russian fossil fuels in December, spending €337 million on these energy resources. Of this amount, €130 million was for crude oil, while €207 million was for pipeline gas. France and Belgium each imported Russian liquefied natural gas worth €204 million, while Spain imported €203 million. Slovakia ranked fifth among the largest importers in the European Union, importing both crude oil and pipeline gas from Russia.
“The EU became the fourth largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in December, accounting for 11% of Russia’s export revenues from the five largest buyers.”
Prospects for Limiting Imports of Russian Fuels
In 2026, according to current decisions, Russia will have its last opportunity to export liquefied natural gas to EU countries. By the fall of 2027, a complete ban on the import of Russian gas via pipelines will come into effect in the European Union, marking another step towards reducing energy dependence on Russia.