Trump: Europe's spending on Russian gas purchases exceeds support for Ukraine

US President Donald Trump has said that European countries have spent significantly more money on buying Russian energy supplies than on supporting Ukraine.

"Europe has spent more money buying Russian Oil and Gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine —BY FAR!" Caliber.Az quotes Trump as saying on his Truth social network.

Following Ukraine's decision to halt Russian gas transit through its territory on January 1, 2025, European nations have increasingly relied on alternative routes, notably the TurkStream pipeline, to meet their energy needs.

The TurkStream pipeline, operational since January 2020, transports Russian natural gas across the Black Sea to Türkiye and subsequently to southern and southeastern Europe. In 2024, gas supplies via TurkStream increased by 23%, reaching 16.7 billion cubic meters.

Recent analyses indicate that, despite efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy, the European Union (EU) continues to spend more on Russian fossil fuels than it provides in financial aid to Ukraine. In 2024, EU member states purchased approximately €21.9 billion worth of Russian oil and gas, surpassing the €18.7 billion allocated to Ukraine in financial assistance during the same period.

This trend has been consistent since the onset of the conflict. For instance, in the initial months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU spent €35 billion on Russian energy imports, while providing only €1 billion in aid to Ukraine.

By Khagan Isayev