The Russian government announced that since 2022, it has sold hydrocarbons to European countries for over $320 billion, in defiance of sanctions imposed against it following the invasion of Ukraine.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees the energy sector, stated on television that the volume of energy resource supplies to European Union countries reached $320.7 billion, equivalent to approximately 286 billion euros for the period from 2022 to the present.
Just this year, by the end of September, European buyers spent $21.3 billion on Russian hydrocarbons.
Despite the European Union adopting a number of sanctions against the Russian Federation after the invasion of Ukraine, some states continue to purchase hydrocarbons from it, such as liquefied natural gas in France. Additionally, Slovakia and Hungary purchase oil delivered to them via pipeline.
However, the total amount does not include Russian hydrocarbons that reach Europe indirectly, having been processed in third countries such as India and Turkey. These countries have significantly increased their purchases of Russian oil since 2022, similar to China.
This situation drew criticism from Donald Trump, who announced an agreement on the supply of Russian diesel fuel to stabilize prices on Friday. On Monday, Trump wrote on his social media that 'the European Union paid Russia $250 billion for its energy, and the media does not want to raise this issue. I made the right choice for the American people.'
On the other hand, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized the 'hypocrisy' of Europeans on Sunday, claiming they 'continue to fund Vladimir Putin' while simultaneously demanding lower diesel fuel prices.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's advisor on international economic relations, also condemned the 'incredible hypocrisy of EU bureaucrats' on Tuesday.
When asked about the diesel fuel agreement, Novak suggested that the Russian Federation, as one of the world's leading hydrocarbon producers, 'can achieve monthly sales volumes of three to 3.5 million tons on global markets, as before the crisis.'