Despite the European Union's plans to end dependence on Russian energy, Belgium met all its natural gas needs from Russia in July. According to Bloomberg's ship tracking data, Russia was Belgium's sole supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) last month.
The country's total LNG imports fell by more than 40% compared to the same period last year, limited to around 400,000 tons of Russian gas. Belgium continued to receive pipeline gas from Norway and the United Kingdom.
EU sanctions plan clashes with growing dependence
This situation complicates the EU's ban on short-term contracts introduced in April and its planned full ban on Russian LNG imports from next year. However, supply disruptions from the Middle East have pushed European buyers toward Russian gas.
According to data from the German organization Orgivald, the EU's Russian LNG imports rose by 16% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, reaching 5.96 billion euros. France, Belgium, and Spain led these imports. Russia remains the EU's second-largest LNG supplier after the United States.
Europe's gas stocks raise alarm
Europe faces growing difficulties in filling its gas storage ahead of winter. High prices and navigation disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have led energy companies to postpone purchases.
Market data shows that Europe's gas stocks are at their lowest seasonal level since 2009. Russian energy company Gazprom warned that the gas deficit in Europe's underground storage facilities poses a serious risk during the winter months.
Gazprom announced that the storage deficit has reached 12 billion cubic meters and that the volume of gas stored as of July 31 was 17.3% lower than the same period last year. The company noted that storage levels in Germany, the Netherlands, and France remain below the European average.
Before the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, Gazprom met about 40% of Europe's natural gas needs through its pipeline network. The company's exports to the continent reached 201.7 billion cubic meters in 2021. As a result of European sanctions and the shift to alternative suppliers, this figure dropped to around 15 billion cubic meters in 2024.
