Europe pays over 200 billion euros to Russia for energy, despite the sanctions.

An analysis by the Financial Times reveals that since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union countries have transferred over 200 billion euros to the Kremlin for energy resources. Despite the embargo on imports of Russian coal and oil, as well as plans to gradually phase out Russian natural gas by 2027, the EU remains heavily dependent on Moscow in the field of nuclear energy.

Around 20-25% of the uranium used in European nuclear power plants is still supplied by Russia. In addition, 19 Soviet-type VVER reactors are operating on EU territory, which require spare parts and maintenance mainly provided by Moscow. Although the European Commission plans to completely eliminate nuclear dependence by the 2030s, some member states such as Hungary and Slovakia are delaying efforts due to concerns about energy security and potential electricity price increases.

According to expert estimates, for the EU to fully replace Russian nuclear imports, it needs to invest over 240 billion euros in building its own supply chain and servicing the nuclear energy sector.