Ukrainian Overseas Minister Andrii Sybiha stated imports of Russian liquefied pure gasoline (LNG) to the European Union have to be banned and changed with provides from the US and different companions.

"There may be sufficient LNG gasoline available on the market to not fund the legal Russian regime with its agression, struggle crimes, and hybrid assaults," Sybiha wrote on X on Dec. 29.

Sybiha’s assertion got here in response to a latest Monetary Occasions report stating that Russian LNG imports to the EU "reached a report excessive" in 2024.

In line with the Monetary Occasions, as of mid-December, the EU imported a report 16.5 million tonnes of Russian LNG, surpassing final 12 months’s complete of 15.18 million tonnes. The report famous the quantity additionally exceeded the earlier report of 15.21 million tonnes imported in 2022, citing knowledge from analytics agency Kpler.

In his assertion, Sybiha referred to as the imports "unacceptable" and reiterated that they need to get replaced with provides from the U.S. and different companions.

On Dec. 27, Ukraine acquired its first cargo of U.S. LNG, which arrived through a terminal in Greece.

Whereas LNG exports have confronted fewer sanctions than oil, latest restrictions have begun tightening across the sector. In June, the EU imposed historic sanctions on the Russian gasoline trade, together with its first ban on LNG transshipment.

Nonetheless, whereas some EU nations like Germany not import Russian LNG straight, the German state power firm SEFE has a long-term contract with Russia's Yamal facility. The provides from Yamal are routed to France earlier than being fed into the European pipeline system.

European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen introduced up the matter of Russian LNG in a telephone dialog with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump shortly after his Nov. 5 victory.

Von der Leyen stated she floated the concept of changing Russian LNG with extra imports from the U.S.

"We nonetheless get an entire lot of LNG through Russia, from Russia," she stated. "And why not exchange it with American LNG, which is cheaper, and brings down our power costs?"

Ukraine receives 1st shipment of US LNG“Despite Russia’s attempts to destroy our energy system during the war, we have won another victory on the energy front,” Andriy Yermak, head of the Presidential Office, said on Dec. 28.The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert