Europe's import of Russian gas jumps 42% amid Russia-Ukraine war: Report

Russia-Ukraine War: Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain have topped the list of importers, the report said.

The European Union witnessed a 42 percent increase in the imports of Russian Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) between January-October, compared to the same period last year, Financial Times reported. The report said that EU has imported 62.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas this year compared to 17.8 billion cubic meters last year.

Russia-Ukraine War: Residents check the damage of a shop destroyed during a Russian attack in Kherson.(AP)

Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain have topped the list of importers, the report said adding that most of the Russian LNG is supplied from the Yamal LNG joint venture. Novatek, a Russian company is the majority owner with France's Total, China's CNPC and a Chinese state fund holding the other stakes.

Since the invasion, EU has postured that it will be reducing its dependence on Russian energy. However, on the contrary, the sharp increase in imports suggests that Europe is not fulfilling its promise to the world.

This comes as Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that NATO allies must send main battle tanks to Ukraine as soon as possible, as Ukrainian forces could use them to “revert the situation” on the ground now.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called for a special tribunal to be set up to ensure Russia’s top political and military leaders are held responsible for the invasion of Ukraine, saying that Ukraine and its partners have to “ensure justice after this war in the same manner as it was done after World War II.”