EU paid ‘only’ 21.6 bln eur to Russia for energy in 2024, an 85 pct drop from 2022

Brussels – In 2024, the European Union contributed 21.6 billion euros in direct payments to Russia in energy purchases, according to Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen. This is what member states spent under trade agreements signed before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, and, in any case, Jorgensen emphasizes, the 2024 figure should be interpreted in relation to pre-conflict trade flows. In 2022, he stresses, in his answer to the parliamentary question, EU member states paid 144 billion to Moscow.

Therefore, the policies of source diversification and disengagement from the Russian supplier are bearing fruit, he said. In 2024 alone, he notes, there will be “a decline in payments of 85 percent compared to 2022″ and “savings of EUR 122 billion.” The numbers “demonstrate the progress achieved by the EU in reducing dependence on Russian energy imports.”

Once again, Jorgensen vindicates the work done by EU institutions and national governments to corner the Russian Federation. He had already done this by presenting the EU calendar for complete energy independence from Moscow in 2027, and he does it again by responding to the demands coming from the European Parliament (specifically from the liberal benches). “The European Union aims to fully phase out Russian fossil fuels,” he said. The numbers indicate that the EU is on the right track.