EU considering partial return to Russian gas imports - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
Europe discusses resumption of gas imports from Russia amid concerns about dependence on the United States. Germany calls for the return of gas supplies to support industry.
Europe is considering returning to imports of Russian gas amid new risks in relations with the United States. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
More than three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe's energy security remains fragile. Although liquefied natural gas from the United States helped fill the deficit during the 2022-2023 crisis, there is growing talk in the EU about the risks of a new dependence - this time on the United States.
The Donald Trump factor, who has changed his approach to European partners and is increasingly using energy as an element of trade, is forcing large companies to revise their position.
In particular, we are talking about importing part of Russian gas, including from the Russian state giant Gazprom.
This will require another major policy shift, given that Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced the European Union to commit to ending imports of Russian energy by 2027.
Europe has limited options. Negotiations with LNG giant Qatar to supply more gas have stalled, and while the introduction of renewable energy sources has accelerated, the pace is not fast enough for the EU to feel safe.
If a sensible peace comes to Ukraine, we could return to supply volumes of 60 billion cubic meters, perhaps 70 billion cubic meters per year, including LNG
France partially owns Engie, which was previously one of Gazprom's largest gas buyers. Holleaux said that Russia could supply about 20-25% of the EU's needs, which is lower than 40% before the war.
The head of the French oil company TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, warned Europe against excessive dependence on American gas.
"We need to diversify, many routes, not rely on one or two," Pouyanné told Reuters. Total is a major exporter of American LNG and also sells Russian LNG from the private company Novatek.
"Europe will never return to importing 150 billion cubic meters from Russia, as before the war... but I would bet, maybe, on 70 billion cubic meters," Pouyanné added.
Germany is returning to the gas issue
At the same time, in Germany - the country most affected by the loss of cheap Russian energy - calls for the return of supplies are growing louder. In the Leuna chemical cluster, where Dow Chemical and Shell plants operate, business calls the issue critical for survival.
Previously, Russia provided 60% of local needs, mainly through the Nord Stream pipeline, which was blown up in 2022.
"We are in a difficult crisis and cannot wait," said Christoph Günther, Managing Director of InfraLeuna.
According to him, the German chemical industry has been cutting jobs for five consecutive quarters, which has not been observed for several decades.
Restoring the operation of pipelines will lead to a greater reduction in prices than any current subsidy programs
"This is a taboo topic," Günther added, saying that many colleagues agreed on the need to return to Russian gas.
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According to a survey conducted by the Forsa Institute, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, an eastern German region where the Nord Stream pipeline comes ashore after passing from Russia along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, 49% of Germans want the resumption of Russian gas supplies.
"We need Russian gas, we need cheap energy - no matter where it comes from," said Klaus Paour, Managing Director of Leuna-Harze.
"We need Nord Stream-2 because we need to keep energy costs under control," he added.
The industry wants the federal government to find cheap energy, said Daniel Keller, Minister of Economy of the state of Brandenburg, where the Schwedt refinery is located, co-owned by the Russian oil company Rosneft, but which is under the care of the German government.
"We can imagine resuming the reception or transportation of Russian oil after the establishment of peace in Ukraine," Keller said.
According to the latest data, in 2024, the share of the United States in gas imports to the EU was 16.7%, Norway - 33.6%, and Russia - 18.8%. In 2025, the share of Russian gas is expected to fall below 10%.
Geopolitical risks from the United States
According to the media, the EU is preparing to buy more American LNG, as Trump wants Europe to reduce its trade surplus with the United States.
"We will definitely need more LNG," said EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič last week.
According to Tetyana Mitrova, a research fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, the tariff war has increased Europe's concerns about dependence on American gas.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to view American LNG as a neutral commodity: at some point it may become a geopolitical tool
According to Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, Chief Analyst at Global Risk Management, in the event of an escalation of the trade war, there is a small risk that the United States may restrict LNG exports.
According to Warren Patterson, head of commodity strategy at ING, in the event of a sharp increase in domestic gas prices in the United States due to increased demand from industry and artificial intelligence, the United States may reduce exports to all markets.
In 2022, the EU set itself a non-binding goal of ending imports of Russian gas by 2027, but twice postponed the publication of plans on how to do this.
