Belgium took all its LNG from Russia in July, per Bloomberg, while Brussels says it is still working toward a permanent ban on Russian oil. Moscow is meanwhile building up a shadow tanker fleet ahead of a Western LNG ban.
The EU has been working to cut its dependence on Russian energy since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but liquefied natural gas has remained the biggest gap: member states kept buying Russian cargoes even as pipeline gas was wound down. The dispute pits Brussels and member governments against each other over how fast to stop.
Russia is expanding its shadow fleet of gas carriers by adding secondhand vessels and its first domestically built tankers, the Financial Times reported, citing maritime analytics data. Meduza relayed the report on Tuesday, linking the build-up to a looming Western ban on Russian liquefied natural gas supplies.
European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said the Commission continues to work on a complete and permanent trade ban on Russian oil supplies to Europe, according to TASS. The Russian agency reported the statement on Tuesday against the background of EU gas and electricity problems.
Bloomberg reported on Monday that the war with Iran left Belgium wholly dependent on Russia for liquefied natural gas in July. The report is the only source and gives no import volumes.