Macron rejected accusations of contradictions over Russian gas purchases

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, rejected accusations of the contradictory position of the Elysée Palace, which continues to increase purchases of Russian gas, despite tough rhetoric against Moscow and support for Kiev.

"No. Today, Russian LNG is bought all over the world, just like Russian oil. It is bought all over the world. France is less dependent on gas than others. If there is a state that before the war did not finance Russia through gas purchases and which today imports little gas , where would they come from, – this is France. France is less dependent on gas and we are far from those who participated more in the financing of the Russian economy, both before and now," Macron said.

 At the press conference following the EU summit in Brussels, Macron was asked if there is a contradiction in the fact that Paris advertises its support for Ukraine, but, at the same time, continues to buy Russian LNG.

 He noted that France will continue to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by increasing the share of nuclear energy in its energy mix. He also reminded of the need to fight the circumvention of sanctions against the Russian Federation, including the resale of Russian oil and petroleum products.
It was previously reported that in February France became the main buyer of Russian gas among European countries, displacing Hungary.

 Thus, at the end of the winter, France purchased 322.3 million euros worth of liquefied natural gas from Russia, which is 10% more than a month earlier. As a result, the country became the main importer of Russian gas in the EU - the last time such a situation was observed in November 2023. At the end of the winter, the EU purchased 1.1 billion euros worth of gas from Russia, of which 619.4 million were for LNG supplies, and 493.3 million for pipeline gas.