• Despite sweeping EU sanctions, several member states continue to import significant volumes of Russian crude oil and LNG.
  • Hungary remains the bloc's largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, with France, Slovakia, Belgium, and Spain also among the top importers.
  • The EU is advancing new legislation to mandate a full phase-out by 2027-2028, but political and logistical hurdles persist.

Peter Navarro, the former White House trade advisor, has publicly decried what he calls the “insanity” of continued European purchases of Russian oil and gas, highlighting a simmering political controversy even as the EU works to formalize a complete energy decoupling. The criticism comes as recent trade data for July 2025 confirms that several key EU nations remain notable buyers.

According to the latest figures, Hungary was the largest EU importer of Russian fossil fuels last month, followed by France, Slovakia, Belgium, and Spain. The imports consist primarily of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). This activity persists despite a dramatic overall reduction in the bloc's reliance; Russian oil’s share of EU imports has plummeted from 29% in 2021 to just 2% this year. The price for Russian Urals crude has held relatively stable, trading at approximately $65.1 per barrel.

The continued purchases are facilitated by a complex web of country-specific derogations, existing contracts for pipeline deliveries, and intricate re-export arrangements. For instance, some refineries in certain nations are configured to process specific grades of Russian crude. Efforts to reach spokespeople from the permanent representations of Hungary and Slovakia to the EU were not immediately successful.

EU policy, initiated at the Versailles Summit following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, committed to ending this dependence. While the bloc successfully enacted a full ban on Russian coal and a near-total embargo on seaborne crude oil, the phase-out of pipeline gas and LNG has proven more complex and slower. The European Commission is now pushing to close these loopholes, advancing proposals that would legally mandate a full cessation of Russian oil imports by the end of 2027 and natural gas by January 2028.

“What you’re seeing is the messy reality of unwinding deeply entrenched energy supply chains,” said an EU official familiar with the negotiations, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. “The political will for a full cut-off is there, but the technical and contractual challenges are non-trivial, especially for landlocked member states.”

The disparity in import levels has become a source of political friction within the bloc, drawing criticism from allies and raising questions about the solidarity of the sanctions regime. The EU’s trade deficit with Russia has narrowed significantly due to the overall reduction in energy purchases, though Russia remains a key supplier of fertilizers. As the EU increases imports from alternative suppliers like the US and Norway, the focus now shifts to whether the remaining holdouts can meet the looming legislative deadlines.