The bloc purchased $21.3 billion worth of Russian energy in the first nine months of 2026 alone, Deputy PM Aleksandr Novak says
The EU has spent more than $320 billion on Russian energy since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 despite sweeping sanctions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak has said.
The EU drastically reduced Russian oil and gas imports and pledged to phase out Russian fossil fuels entirely by 2027.
Energy costs have surged across much of the bloc in recent years, with the crisis exacerbated by the US-Israeli war against Iran.
In August, Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged that the German embargo on Russian energy contributed to the “ongoing energy crisis” and undermined German industry. French President Emmanuel Macron has warned of soaring costs from replacing Russian pipeline gas with more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In an interview with Russian broadcaster Vesti on Monday, Novak said the value of Russian energy supplies to the EU have reached $320.7 billion, exceeding the $250 billion figure previously cited by Washington.
“Despite sanctions, our energy resources continue to flow through specific routes that remain exempt,” Novak said, noting that deliveries reached $21.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026 alone.
He stressed that Russia continues to honor its contracts, insisting that it is not Russia’s “fault that the share of exports to the European Union has changed significantly,” adding: “We are supplying what our European counterparts want.”
Novak also said Russian and American companies have begun talks on diesel deliveries following an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to him, Russia could boost diesel exports to global markets to 3.5 million tons a month by the end of the year.
The remarks come as Brussels rolls out new sanctions targeting over 1,600 individuals and entities. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski welcomed the measures, calling them the “harshest so far.”
Despite pledges to phase out Russian energy, France, Spain, and Belgium remain major buyers of Russian LNG, while Hungary and Slovakia continue importing Russian pipeline oil and gas through sanctions exemptions.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev accused Brussels of hypocrisy, arguing that the EU and “legacy media” are concealing its energy purchases while criticizing America’s diesel agreement with Russia, which he said will benefit “US farmers, consumers, the energy market, and the world.”
