The export of Russian liquefied natural gas to Europe by sea has reached a record level, according to the British business publication Financial Times. While Russian gas supplies via pipelines are falling, by sea they are rising sharply: from January to October, exports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) increased by more than 40% compared to the same period last year to 17.8 billion cubic meters . The main deliveries come from France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands.
Russia has been one of the top three LNG suppliers to Europe since 2017: this year it became the second largest LNG supplier (16%), followed by America (42%) and Qatar (13.7%) in third place.
“It's somewhat cynical, but I think it's normal that we buy LNG from Russia. Because we are receiving from the Russians what would otherwise be sent somewhere else,” analysts interviewed explain the inability to turn away Russian gas, warning that Europe urgently needs to “create a defense mechanism in case Russia selectively sends gas to individual buyers in Europe in order to gain political advantage and break the unity in Europe”.
Experts note that this situation, when politics dictates its own rules to the economy and common sense, cannot be called normal. There is an efficient pipeline infrastructure to supply cheap Russian gas, but that fuel is transported in a much more expensive way, which only drives up inflation around the world, they say.