Much has been said in fresh years about European solidarity, about unity and unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of the brutal, illegal and inhumane Russian war of aggression. And much of that is true. The European Union imposed sanctions against Russia, delivered weapons to Ukraine, and welcomed refugees. It created fresh funds, reallocated old budget lines, and began to see itself anew, as a geopolitical actor with safety responsibilities. In the spring of 2025, the EU’s military aid to Ukraine surpassed that of the United States for the first time, a geopolitical turning point.
Yet while the EU did take a stand in this way, it left the back door wide open erstwhile it came to energy. Even in 2024, billions continued to flow into Russian fossil fuel imports, via Belgium, France or Spain, frequently in the form of LNG and sometimes obscured by legacy contracts. In total, the EU paid more for Russian gas, oil and coal than it gave Ukraine in direct financial assistance that same year. It is simply a troubling imbalance, not just morally, but strategically. alternatively of supporting Kyiv with all available resource, more money, albeit indirectly, ended up bolstering Vladimir Putin’s war machine. That, at least according to the European Commission, is now meant to come to an end.
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