Belgium became completely dependent on Russia for liquefied natural gas imports last month, amid the war in the Middle East causing a sharp reduction in supplies to Europe, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
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Most buyers on the continent refrained from purchasing LNG for winter reserves due to persistently high gas prices caused by shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.
Although Belgium's imports from Russia were smaller than earlier this year, these figures complicate the European Union's energy policy, which has imposed a ban on Russian LNG starting next year, the publication notes.
Total LNG flows to Belgium — the fifth-largest fuel importer in Europe last year — fell by more than 40% in July compared to the previous year, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The country purchased about 0.4 million tons of fuel from Russia, the data shows. It also receives pipeline gas from Norway and the UK.
EU members are already required to reduce their LNG purchases from Russia, as a ban on short-term contracts has been in effect since April, until the full ban takes effect next year. Instead, volumes have increased as buyers sought alternatives to supplies from the Middle East, the publication writes.
According to the German non-profit organization Urgewald, Europe received 16% more Russian LNG in the first half of 2026 compared to the previous year, paying a total of 5.96 billion euros ($6.9 billion), led by France, Belgium, and Spain.
Russia remains the second-largest supplier of LNG to the EU after the US, and some industry observers have already questioned the ban if supply disruptions from the Middle East continue. Low gas reserves in Europe for the upcoming winter, which are currently at the lowest seasonal level on record since 2009, further complicate the situation.
So far, officials in Brussels have stated that the plan to ban Russian gas next year remains in place. Last month, the 27-nation bloc granted an exception for transporting Russian LNG to third countries, reducing risks to global supplies.
The last time Russia was the sole LNG supplier to Belgium was in early 2021, when European economies were just beginning to recover from the Covid pandemic and before Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the publication notes.