Belgium relied entirely on Russian liquefied natural gas imports last month, as war-related disruption in the Middle East sharply reduced supplies to Europe, according to Bloomberg data.
Most buyers in Europe have refrained from purchasing LNG for their winter stocks due to persistently high gas prices resulting from the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Although Belgium’s LNG imports from Russia were lower than earlier this year, the trend runs counter to European Union energy policy. The EU has already banned short-term Russian LNG contracts since April and plans a full ban from January 2027.
Belgium, Europe’s fifth-largest LNG importer, saw its total LNG imports from abroad fall by more than 40% in July compared with the same month last year, according to Bloomberg calculations.
The data show Belgium bought about 400,000 tonnes of LNG from Russia. The country also receives gas from Norway and the United Kingdom.
EU member states were expected to reduce purchases from Russia by now, given the restrictions already in place. Instead, Bloomberg said volumes have increased as European countries seek alternatives to disrupted supplies from the Middle East.
Russia therefore remains Europe’s second-largest LNG supplier after the United States.
