European Union countries – shortly before the ban on Russian LNG imports comes into force – are massively increasing purchases of Russian gas, reaching record levels of imports from Yamal LNG. It is estimated that in the first six months of 2026, gas purchases from the project amounted to approximately €6 billion. Three countries dominate these purchases – France, Belgium, and Spain.
From January 1, 2027, the European Union will introduce a ban on long-term contracts for Russian LNG supplies. By autumn 2027, the ban will also cover Russian gas delivered through pipelines.
However, even before the ban takes effect, European countries are massively buying gas from Yamal LNG, a company controlled by Novatek – the Financial Times reported today. The project includes, among others, Chinese investors as well as French energy giant TotalEnergies.
Imports from the Russian gas project in the first half of 2026 were higher than ever before. During the first six months of 2026, the EU purchased 9.89 million tonnes of LNG from Yamal LNG, 18 percent more than a year earlier, according to analytics company Kpler.
The estimated cost of these purchases may have reached around €6 billion.
France, Belgium, and Spain are the largest importers, purchasing a combined total of approximately 9.2 million tonnes.
Poland’s Role to Increase
The Polish Economic Institute predicts that after the ban on Russian gas imports comes into force, Poland’s importance as a transit country for natural gas will increase.
“Although Poland launched cross-border connections with Slovakia and Lithuania in 2022, Ukraine has so far remained the key and almost the only export destination. In 2025, Gaz-System recorded record gas exports within Poland’s transmission system – annual transmission reached 2 billion cubic meters, of which 99 percent was exported to Ukraine,” analysts wrote in the Economic Weekly.
They pointed out that the use of connections with Slovakia and Lithuania has so far been minimal. Slovakia remains dependent on imports of raw materials from Russia, while Lithuania has its own LNG import terminal.
In June, Gaz-System made an investment decision regarding the construction of a second floating LNG terminal in the Gulf of Gdańsk, known as an FSRU, with a capacity of 6.1 billion cubic meters annually.
This means that by 2030, Poland may have three LNG terminals with a combined regasification capacity of more than 20 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, the analysis emphasized. The LNG Terminal in Świnoujście has been operating since 2016, while the first FSRU terminal in Gdańsk is currently under construction and is scheduled to become operational in 2028.
According to analysts, the existing and planned infrastructure will help strengthen Poland’s role as a regional gas hub and a key supply corridor for countries in the region.