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Belgium has seen a sharp increase in liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia this year, reversing a long-term decline, the Belgian central bank reported on Wednesday.
The rise comes despite the European Union’s ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Data from the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) showed that imports of all Russian goods rose by 113 per cent between July and September, driven almost entirely by LNG shipments.
The bank described the growth as “exceptionally” rapid, noting that relatively low energy prices had contributed to the surge.
“In 2025, total imports from Russia clearly began to rise again, driven by LNG imports, with their total value in the first eight months approaching that observed for the whole of 2024,” the NBB said.
LNG now accounts for more than two-thirds of Belgian imports from Russia, with the remainder largely composed of metals and chemicals.
The spike in imports comes shortly after the European Commission announced plans to bring forward a ban on Russian LNG purchases by a year, aiming to limit Moscow’s revenue from energy exports.
In 2024, Russia still supplied 19 per cent of the EU’s gas, down from 45 per cent before the conflict.
Belgium plays a key role as a European energy hub, with LNG mainly arriving at terminals such as the large facility in the port of Zeebrugge.
However, not all imported gas is consumed domestically, as significant volumes are re-exported to other EU member states, the NBB noted.
