By Ben Aris in Berlin Germany talks loudly about ending Europe’s import of Russian gas, but as a result of alternative sources of energy, it has seen imports of Russian LNG soar by 500% in 2024 year on year,

Energy ministers from Belgium, France and Spain, whose ports receive shipments from Russian LNG tankers, have insisted that very little of the gas arriving is used domestically and that most is piped on to other EU countries. In November, Germany ordered its state-operated import terminals to reject any Russian LNG cargoes.

Germany's imports of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) via other EU countries continue to rise despite restrictions on direct shipments, the Financial Times wrote on Jan. 28, citing a report by Belgian,