European countries increased their imports of liquefied natural gas from the Yamal LNG project in the first quarter of 2026 by 17% compared to the same period last year, reaching five million tonnes. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing data from analytics firm Kpler.
The rise in purchases of Russian LNG comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. The conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran has led to a reduction in LNG supplies from Qatar, one of Europe’s key suppliers.
Of the five million tonnes of LNG shipped to Europe since the beginning of the year, around 1.5 million tonnes were delivered in March. During this period, the United States and Israel carried out strikes against Iran, while Tehran responded by attacking neighboring countries and closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy flows.
According to the newspaper, in the first quarter, 97% of all LNG shipments from the Yamal LNG project were directed to Europe. European countries thus remain the primary destination for Russian liquefied gas exports. According to environmental NGO Urgewald, European Union countries spent approximately $2.88 billion on Yamal LNG between January and March 2026.
Earlier, European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen stated that the European Union does not plan to revise its strategy of phasing out Russian energy imports, despite rising prices linked to the Middle East conflict.
