EU has paid Russia US$209bn for energy since March 2022

From March 2022 to July 2026, European Union countries paid Russia around €197 billion or approximately US$209 billion for fossil fuels.

Source: an EU source with a reference to official European Union statistical data, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU spent approximately US$209 billion on Russian fossil energy, which refutes the claim made by US President Donald Trump about US$250 billion spent during this period.

Meanwhile, according to European institutional estimates, without the launch of the REPowerEU plan (the EU's planned phase-out of Russian energy resources), this figure could have reached around €475 billion.

The source calculated that reducing dependency on Russian fossil fuels had allowed the EU to avoid additional expenditure of approximately €278 billion.

The official recalled that as early as 2023, supplies from Russia accounted for only about 6% of the European Union's total expenditure on fossil fuels.

Background:

• Trump wrote on his social media network that the European Union had paid Russia US$250 billion for energy.
• On 9 October, Trump said he had spoken to Putin and reached an agreement with him on supplying Russian diesel fuel to the US and global markets.
• The agreement between Trump and Putin sparked outrage in Ukraine and European capitals.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy strongly criticised Trump's actions, describing the easing of sanctions as an "absolutely terrible" move.

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