Ilan Berman
This year, imports of Russian energy actually increased in seven major European countries.
These days in Europe, there is a near-unanimous consensus about the threat posed by Russia and the need to continue to support Ukraine against Moscow’s aggression. But Europe’s steadfastness could be undermined by a different factor—a sustained and growing dependence on Russian energy among a number of its members. Indeed, as a new analysis by Reuters lays out, seven European states (France, the Netherlands, Romania, Belgium, Croatia, Portugal, and Hungary) actually increased their imports of Russian energy over the past year.
The data is striking. In the Netherlands, dependence on Russian energy has surged by some 72 percent, to €498 million ($580 million) since 2024. In France, it rose by 40 percent, reaching €2.2 billion ($2.56 billion). In Croatia and Romania, it has increased by 55 percent and 57 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Portugal’s imports of Russian energy have truly skyrocketed, jumping by 167 percent between 2024 and 2025.
What accounts for this rise? When it comes to Hungary, the answer is obvious. Since he assumed the premiership in 2010, Viktor Orban has distinguished himself as an erstwhile ally of the Kremlin. He has, among other things, rhetorically backed Russia’s war against Ukraine, sought to undermine alliance consensus within NATO, and tried to block European sanctions on Moscow. Hungary, in other words, has made clear where it stands politically—and buying a greater share of Russian energy is entirely consistent with this policy.
But none of the other countries mentioned by Reuters enjoys such close ties to Russia. To the contrary, many of them (in particular, France) are leading the charge to isolate and punish the Kremlin. As such, their recent consumption patterns are both puzzling and alarming.
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