European Commission disputes Russian claims over post 2022 energy spending

The European Commission pushed back on Tuesday against Russian claims regarding the amount of money spent by European Union countries on Russian energy since 2022. Euronews reported that a European Commission spokesperson disputed Russia's calculation, stating that the figures put forward by Moscow and the United States appear to be inflated. [1]

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday that European Union nations had purchased $320.7 billion worth of Russian hydrocarbons and energy resources since 2022, according to reports from Euronews, France 24, and Hürriyet Daily News. France 24 noted that the stated total covers the period from 2022 up to the present day, despite sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine. [1][2][8]

In response, the European Commission spokesperson stated that Russia supplied the European Union with €197 billion, or $209 billion, worth of energy between March 2022 and July 2026, Euronews reported. The European Commission cited COMEXT data, which is the official reference database managed by Eurostat, to support its lower calculation. [1]

The energy figure dispute comes amid broader diplomatic tensions over energy policy and war funding. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the United States recently announced an agreement with Moscow to allow Russian diesel into global markets, an arrangement criticized by European officials. [1][2][16]