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Russia has supplied European Union countries with $320.7 billion worth of hydrocarbons since 2022 despite sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Monday.
Novak, who oversees energy policy, said European countries purchased $21.3 billion worth of Russian hydrocarbons in the first nine months of 2026 alone.
“Despite sanctions-related restrictions, we continue to supply energy resources in certain areas for which exemptions have been granted,” Novak said in televised remarks.
He also said Russian oil exports could return to prewar levels by the end of the year.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard cited Russia’s figures as she arrived in Luxembourg for a meeting of EU foreign ministers Monday.
She compared the $320.7 billion figure with the €218.7 billion ($244 billion) in support the EU has provided to Ukraine since the war began.
“We have imported a higher amount to the EU countries than we have given support to Ukraine,” Malmer Stenergard said.
She also called for the use of frozen Russian sovereign assets held by the bloc, saying such a move could nearly double the total support provided to Ukraine.
“That would be a game-changer, and a game-changer is exactly what Ukraine needs,” she said.
The EU has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia since 2022, but several countries, including France, continue to import Russian hydrocarbons, particularly liquefied natural gas.
Landlocked countries including Slovakia and Hungary also benefit from exemptions allowing them to purchase Russian oil transported by pipeline.
The $320.7 billion total does not include Russian energy reaching Europe indirectly after being processed in third countries such as India or Türkiye, which, along with China, have increased purchases of Russian crude since 2022.
European countries have also criticized a deal announced Friday allowing the U.S. to import Russian diesel.
U.S. President Donald Trump responded Monday, saying on Truth Social that the EU had paid Russia $250 billion for energy.
“I made the right choice for the American People — ALWAYS, AMERICA FIRST!” Trump said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also accused European countries of “hypocrisy” Sunday, saying they continued to finance Russian President Vladimir Putin while criticizing the U.S. agreement to purchase Russian diesel.
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