Imposing sanctions against Russia along with adopting green energy policies resulted in an almost 61% decrease in Russian fuel shipments to Europe in 2022, the statistical office of the EU, Eurostat, said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2023) Imposing sanctions against Russia along with adopting green energy policies resulted in an almost 61% decrease in Russian fuel shipments to Europe in 2022, the statistical office of the EU, Eurostat, said on Thursday.
A year after the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, its largest fuel supplier, due to the beginning of its military operation in Ukraine, Russian oil and petroleum imports decreased to 6,248 thousand tonnes, which is 39% of the 15,724 thousand tonnes imported twelve months ago. In annual terms, the oil imports decreased by 36% from 207,070 thousand tonnes in 2019 to 133,380 thousand tonnes in 2022, the report said.
In turn, other oil suppliers have considerably increased their exports to the EU since 2019, Eurostat said.
"Compared with 2019, the United States increased their annual export to the EU by 25,813 thousand tonnes (+63%), Norway by 16,695 thousand tonnes, (+37%), Brazil by 8,711 thousand tonnes (+194%), Angola by 4,140 thousand tonnes (+57%) and the United Arab Emirates by 1,435 thousand tonnes (+24%)," the Eurostat's statement read.
Moreover, the EU agreed to employ two emergency stock releases in March and April of 2022 in order to stabilize the oil market, the report added.
After Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine, the West actively searched for ways to limit Moscow's energy-related income, notably from oil and gas. Moreover, the Ukraine conflict also stopped the flow of Russian gas to Europe, which led to a spike in energy prices and shortages, forcing countries to look for alternatives, in particular, the United States and its LNG exports.
