US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin [Getty Images]
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin [Getty Images]

Russia has released data on European purchases of Russian energy after the EU criticized a US-Russia diesel supply deal as tantamount to funding Moscow's war effort.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Monday in a television broadcast that EU countries had purchased approximately $320.7 billion worth of hydrocarbon energy — including oil and natural gas — from Russia between 2022 and the present, according to Yonhap, citing AFP.

Novak added that European countries had bought roughly $21.3 billion worth of Russian energy this year alone.

"Despite restrictions related to sanctions, we continue to supply energy resources to certain sectors where exceptions have been granted," he said.

Novak's remarks appeared to highlight that, even as the EU has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia since the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February 2022, several European countries — including France — have continued importing Russian energy, including LNG.

EU demands US enforce Russia sanctions; Trump says 'America first, always'

The EU had moved to criticize Washington after the United States announced Friday that it would temporarily ease sanctions on Russian diesel.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters ahead of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg that the bloc was calling on the United States to enforce sanctions against Russia "so that we can end this war and eliminate all the consequences of attacks on oil refineries."

Kallas stressed that only by raising the level of sanctions and pressure on Russia could energy supply disruptions be fundamentally resolved. "If the US aligns with EU sanctions on Russia, we can put real pressure on Russia to end this war," she said.

She also expressed skepticism about Donald Trump's announcement that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to halt mutual attacks on each other's energy infrastructure, saying it would be welcome "if it is actually implemented, but it has not yet been confirmed whether Russia will honor this."

EU foreign ministers also approved a new package of sanctions targeting more than 1,600 individuals and entities suspected of supporting Russia's war effort — described as the largest such package the EU has issued since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Trump, meanwhile, pushed back on mounting criticism of his so-called diesel deal with Vladimir Putin, writing on Truth Social that "the EU has paid Russia $250 billion for energy, and the fake news media doesn't want to touch that story." He added: "I made the right decision for the American people. America first, always."


yul@heraldcorp.com