Belgium cuts Russian LNG imports to zero as EU-wide volumes fall sharply

Belgium exits Russian LNG ahead of the ban

Belgium imported no Russian liquefied natural gas in August, according to a new Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air assessment reported by the Kyiv Independent on September 11. The same analysis found that EU purchases of Russian LNG fell 46% from July, reaching their lowest monthly volume since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Belgian reversal was especially abrupt: the report said Russian cargoes had supplied all of Belgium's LNG imports only one month earlier.

The fall narrows the European market available to Russian exporters but does not yet close it. France, Spain and the Netherlands remained EU destinations for Russian LNG during the period covered by the report. French ports handled 57% of the bloc's Russian LNG intake, while a long-term contract involving TotalEnergies is expected to run until the end of 2026. That concentration means future EU totals could be sensitive to decisions by a small number of terminals and buyers.

A commercial shift meets binding EU policy

The decline is occurring before the final stage of the EU's legislated phaseout. The Council of the European Union formally adopted the REPowerEU gas regulation in January. The measure entered into force in February and applies prohibitions in stages according to when contracts were signed or amended. All remaining Russian LNG imports are scheduled to become illegal from January 1, 2027, while the final deadline for eligible pipeline contracts comes later in 2027.

The change matters beyond individual gas cargoes. Energy exports provide Moscow with foreign revenue while Europe still faces the challenge of replacing supply without recreating dangerous dependencies or exposing consumers to extreme price volatility. The European Commission says Russian gas had already fallen from 45% of EU gas imports in 2021 to 12% in 2025. August's reported LNG decline suggests that the market may now be adjusting more rapidly as the legal deadline approaches.

The next test will be whether Belgium's zero-import month persists and whether the remaining importers reduce volumes without creating supply stress during the winter storage cycle. Customs enforcement and origin verification will also matter because gas can pass through intermediaries and change hands several times. The fresh figures come from a research-group analysis rather than a new official EU customs release, so subsequent trade data will be important for confirming the scale and durability of the shift.