French imports of Russia’s liquified natural gas surge, and Ukraine supporters seek a stop

Associated Press

New analyses of trade data show that shipments of Russian liquified natural gas to France more than doubled the first half of this year. The big increase comes at a time when Europe has tried to pull back from energy purchases that help finance the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine. The EU has restricted oil imports from Russia, but natural gas is still allowed. And while companies in France are importing the most, EU countries overall imported 7% more Russian LNG in the first half of this year compared to last. Some opponents of the war say the EU should block Russian gas imports, not just oil. European governments have said that would spike costs for both industry and ordinary citizens. And the biggest French importer, TotalEnergies, said it’s obligated by contract to buy the gas.