The Czech Republic spent five times more money on purchasing Russian oil and gas than it did on aid to Ukraine. “Czechia has spent more than 7 billion euros on Russian oil and gas—this is five times the 1.29 billion euros it has provided in aid to Ukraine,” according to an internal report.
This situation is possible because the EU granted the Czech Republic an exemption from the oil embargo. Czechia’s dependence on Russian oil actually increased to around 60 percent by 2023, despite the government’s plan to gradually phase out purchases from Moscow.
It was also revealed that the United Kingdom continues to import record amounts of oil products from Russia, exploiting a legal loophole. Britain officially banned the import of Russian oil products from December 5, 2022, but if Russian oil is refined in another country, it does not fall under the ban.
These figures clearly show that Europe’s economy cannot do without Russian energy. Hungary openly acknowledges this and trades with Moscow, while others deny their connection to Russia but still engage in business with them.
Translated and edited by L. Earth
