In July, Belgium became entirely dependent on imports of russian LNG

According to “European Pravda”, this is reported by Bloomberg.

Most buyers on the continent are holding back from purchasing LNG for winter stocks due to persistently high gas prices caused by disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Although Belgium’s imports from russia were also lower than at the start of this year, these figures complicate the energy policy of the European Union, which has introduced a ban on russian LNG due to come into force next year.

Total LNG shipments to Belgium – Europe’s fifth-largest importer of the fuel last year – fell by more than 40 per cent in July compared with the same period last year, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The data shows that the country purchased around 0.4 million tonnes of gas from russia. It also receives gas via pipelines from Norway and the UK.

EU member states should already be reducing their purchases of LNG from russia, as a ban on short-term contracts has been in place since April, with a complete ban due to come into force next year. Instead, supply volumes have risen sharply as buyers sought alternatives to supplies from the Middle East.

According to the German non-profit organisation Urgewald, in the first half of 2026, Europe received 16 per cent more russian LNG than in the previous year, paying a total of €5.96 billion, with France, Belgium and Spain leading the way.

russia remains the second-largest supplier of LNG to the EU after the US, and some experts are already questioning the wisdom of the ban if supply disruptions from the Middle East persist. Low gas storage levels in Europe ahead of the coming winter – currently the lowest on record since 2009 – are making the situation even more challenging.

Officials in Brussels are currently stating that the plan to ban russian gas next year remains in place. Last month, the 27-nation bloc granted an exemption for the transit of russian LNG to third countries, thereby reducing the risks to global supplies.

The last time russia was Belgium’s sole supplier of LNG was in early 2021, when European economies were just beginning to recover from the Covid pandemic and before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda