MOSCOW, July 13 (World Daily Times) — Europe has cut its dependence on Russian gas since Russia invaded Ukraine, but it has not cut it to zero. That gap is now at the center of a U.S. push for tougher sanctions, including penalties aimed not only at Russia but also at the countries that keep buying its fuel.
Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is natural gas chilled into a liquid so it can be shipped by tanker. Russia still sells LNG and some pipeline gas to Europe, and those sales still bring money to the Kremlin while the war in Ukraine continues.
What Trump is saying
In a March 4, 2025, address to Congress, President Donald Trump said Europe had spent more on Russian oil and gas than on defending Ukraine. In a later Truth Social post, he said he was prepared to impose “significant sanctions on Russia” once NATO allies had “concurred and initiated similar actions.” He also called some allies’ purchases of Russian oil “shocking.”
At the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said the European Union should “immediately halt all energy acquisitions from Russia” or it would be “squandering a significant amount of time.”
What senators want
The Senate push centers on secondary sanctions. Those are penalties that target people, companies or countries outside Russia if they keep doing business with Moscow’s energy sector. The goal is to make Russian oil and gas harder to sell, which would reduce revenue for the Kremlin.
A joint statement from senators backing the effort said lawmakers and the executive branch should work together to create tools “to exact a heavy price on those who buy Russian oil and natural gas, fueling the Putin war machine.”
Earlier versions of the push were championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal. A later Senate statement from Sens. Michael Bennet, Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis said most European nations have made major progress in reducing their dependence on Russian energy since 2022, but that more work is needed to cut the remaining ties.
How much Russian energy still reaches Europe?
Europe has reduced its reliance, but official data show the flow has not stopped. Eurostat reported that Russian pipeline gas made up about 8% of EU imports in the second quarter of 2025.
EU institutions are also still working on broader energy restrictions. The Council of EU energy ministers has announced plans to phase out all Russian gas, and the European Union has been preparing additional sanctions packages aimed at Russian energy exports.
Why it matters
Russia’s energy sales matter because they help fund its budget while NATO countries spend more on defense and aid to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Europe to stop buying Russian energy, saying: “We must stop [buying] any type of energy from Russia…”
For local readers, the effect is indirect but real: sanctions, energy trade and war spending can move global fuel markets and shape U.S. policy debates in Congress.
The fight is no longer only about whether Europe can replace Russian fuel. It is about how far the United States and its allies are willing to go to punish the countries that still buy it.
