In a recent update from Bruegel, the Brussels-based consulting firm, Russia has regained its position as the second-largest natural gas supplier to the European Union for the second quarter of 2024. The German newspaper Welt reported that Russia supplied approximately 12.73 billion cubic meters of gas, edging out the United States, which delivered 12.27 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) during the same period.
Russia's gas deliveries to the EU utilized multiple routes: tanker shipments of liquefied natural gas, 4.1 billion cubic meters via the functioning Ukrainian transit, and a significant increase through the TurkStream pipeline, which transported about one-third more gas than in the previous year. Despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions, EU gas imports from Russia remain unaffected by sanctions due to the dependency of several member states on Russian energy supplies.