According to the information from the Eurostat, in the 20 months from February 2022 to September 2023, the EU bought about 61 billion cubic meters of gas, or about 3.1 billion cubic meters per month for 3.3 billion euros.
Before the conflict in Ukraine began, the US supplied an average of 1.25 billion cubic meters of gas per month worth 725 million euros, the data showed. That is, the "additional cost" of sanctions against Russia for US gas companies on the European market was 36 billion cubic meters of gas for 20 months, according to the data. This cost the EU 52.2 billion euros, and European countries paid the US twice as much for gas as before the conflict.
Reducing energy dependence on Russia became one of the European Union's top priorities after the start of Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine, when the bloc decided to significantly reduce its imports of Russian fuels. The decision led to a sharp rise in gas prices in the bloc. To curb the price hike, the European Commission presented several measures, including joint purchasing, price caps and increased energy conservation efforts.
Also, as part of these efforts, the bloc has increased energy cooperation with a number of countries, including the United States, Algeria and Nigeria, with a particular focus on LNG imports.