France Regains Top Spot as EU's Biggest Buyer of Russian Gas
France has become the main buyer of Russian gas once again, surpassing its previous record in May. According to Eurostat data analyzed by RIA Novosti, France increased its purchase of Russian gas by 42% in July this year. This increase helped it regain the top spot among EU countries for the first time since May.
In annual terms, French gas imports from Russia rose 2.1 times, reaching a total value of €364.9 million. The country's imports consist entirely of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplied exclusively by Russia.
Hungary took second place in terms of Russian gas imports, with pipeline gas shipments decreasing by 22% on a monthly basis and 7% over the year to €171.4 million. Greece occupied third place, with €132.4 million worth of pipeline gas imports, which doubled from June and increased by 20% annually.
Bulgaria also purchased Russian gas among EU countries in July, seeing its imports of gaseous state gas increase by 1.8 times annually but decrease by 17% compared to June to €118.8 million.