Russia says Europe bought $320.7 billion of its hydrocarbons since 2022
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak put the figure at 320.7 billion dollars and said deliveries continue under exemptions, prompting US criticism of the EU over its purchases of Russian fuel.
Moscow's cumulative figure
Russia's deputy prime minister for energy, Alexander Novak, said on Monday, 12 October 2026, in a television interview that European countries had bought Russian hydrocarbons worth 320.7 billion dollars (about 286 billion euros) since 2022, the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He described the sum as the volume of energy deliveries to European Union countries. Novak said European buyers spent 21.3 billion dollars (about 19 billion euros) on Russian hydrocarbons in the first nine months of 2026 alone. He added that Russia continues to supply energy in some areas for which exemptions have been granted, despite sanctions restrictions.
- Since 2022 to present (Novak)
- 320.7 billion USD
- January to September 2026 (Novak)
- 21.3 billion USD
What the total leaves out
The 320.7 billion dollar total does not include Russian hydrocarbons that reach Europe indirectly after processing in third countries such as India and Turkey. Both countries have sharply increased their purchases of Russian crude since 2022, as China has. Several states, including Slovakia and Hungary, hold exemptions that allow them to buy Russian oil delivered by pipeline. Many countries, France among them, continue to buy Russian hydrocarbons, particularly liquefied natural gas (LNG), even though the EU has adopted numerous sanctions since the start of the large-scale offensive in Ukraine. The articles do not give an independent estimate of the indirect volumes.
Washington's response
Donald Trump criticised Europe on Monday in a message on his Truth Social network. He wrote that the European Union had paid Russia 250 billion dollars for its energy, using a revised sum that Moscow has since increased. Trump also accused media that broadcast false news of avoiding the subject, and said he had made the right choice for the American people. He had announced on Friday, 9 October, an agreement on Russian supply of diesel to world markets to temper rising prices. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticised on Sunday, 11 October, what he called the hypocrisy of Europeans who continue to finance Vladimir Putin.
Caveats in the figures
The figures come from Russian government statements, and the articles do not offer independent verification of them. Trump's 250 billion dollar figure and Moscow's 320.7 billion dollar figure are presented on different bases, and the articles do not reconcile the two. A Putin adviser also criticised what he called the hypocrisy of EU officials, adding to the exchange of accusations over energy purchases. Novak's 21.3 billion dollar figure covers only the first nine months of 2026, while the 320.7 billion dollar total runs from 2022 to the present. The articles do not say whether the exemptions cited by Novak will be extended or narrowed.
