Russiaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Alexander Novak Says Europe Bought $320.7 Billion In Russian Hydrocarbons Since 2022
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
EU purchased about $320.7 billion of Russian hydrocarbons since 2022. Purchases continued despite sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine war.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Novak cites $320.7B
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on television that “this figure amounts to $320.7 billion,” describing it as “the volume of energy resource deliveries to European Union countries” for the period from 2022 to “today.” Novak said European countries purchased $21.3 billion worth of Russian hydrocarbons in the first nine months of 2026 alone, and he added that Russian oil exports may reach their pre-war levels by the end of the year.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard cited Novak’s figure as she arrived in Luxembourg for a meeting with EU counterparts, and she contrasted it with the 218.7 billion euros ($244 billion) in support the EU has sent to Ukraine since the start of the war.
Stenergard said, “We have imported a higher amount to the EU countries than we have given support to Ukraine,” and she argued that using frozen Russian assets would “almost double the total support that we have given to Ukraine.”
Diesel dispute escalates
European officials criticized a US deal to import Russian diesel, and US President Donald Trump hit back on Truth Social by saying, “The European Union paid Russia 250 Billion Dollars for Energy.” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Europeans of “hypocrisy,” saying they “continue to finance Vladimir Putin” while criticizing the US agreement to buy Russian diesel.
Kaja Kallas warned that suspending sanctions on Russian diesel shipments would hand Moscow “more revenue to wage war,” and she said “This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe will not do so.” Russia’s disclosures landed as EU foreign ministers gathered in Luxembourg to weigh further measures against Moscow, with the debate centered on whether exemptions and continued purchases undermine sanctions aims.
EU counters with $209B
European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said the EU has paid Russia $209 billion for hydrocarbons since the start of the war, and she stressed that the EU is working to end imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027. Itkonen’s figure came as the Commission responded to Moscow’s claim that it had sold more than USD 320 billion worth of hydrocarbons to European countries since 2022, and the two sides presented different totals for the same period.
The oEnergetice.cz report said total imports of Russian gas accounted for 45 percent of all imports in 2021 and have fallen to 12 percent, while the EU still uses liquefied natural gas shipped by sea. The report also said Russia remains the region’s second-largest LNG supplier after the United States, accounting for roughly 17 percent of total imports, and it added that Slovakia and Hungary have an exemption allowing them to import Russian gas by pipeline.