Russia said on Monday that it had sold European countries more than $320 billion worth of hydrocarbons since 2022, despite sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.
"For the period from 2022 to today, this figure amounts to $320.7 billion. This is the volume of energy resource deliveries to European Union countries," Russian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of energy Alexander Novak said on television.
He said European countries purchased $21.3 billion worth of Russian hydrocarbons in the first nine months of 2026 alone.
"In other words, despite sanctions-related restrictions, we continue to supply energy resources in certain areas for which exemptions have been granted," he added.
Novak said Russian oil exports may reach their pre-war levels by the end of the year.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard pointed to the Russian figure as she arrived in Luxembourg on Monday for a meeting with her European Union counterparts.
She contrasted it with the 218.7 billion euros ($244 billion) in support that the EU had sent to Ukraine since the start of the war.
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"We have imported a higher amount to the EU countries than we have given support to Ukraine," Malmer Stenergard said.
"If we would use the frozen assets, we would almost double the total support that we have given to Ukraine," she added, referring to Russian sovereign funds held by the bloc.
"That would be a game-changer, and a game-changer is exactly what Ukraine needs."
The European Union has adopted numerous sanctions against Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, yet many countries – including France – continue to source hydrocarbons, particularly liquefied natural gas (LNG), from Moscow.
Several landlocked countries, including Slovakia and Hungary, also benefit from exemptions allowing them to purchase Russian oil transported via pipeline.
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This total does not include Russian output reaching Europe indirectly after being processed in third countries such as India or Turkey, which, like China, have massively increased their purchases of Russian crude oil since 2022.
European countries have criticised a deal announced on Friday that allows the United States to import Russian diesel.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump hit back.
"The European Union paid Russia 250 Billion Dollars for Energy, and the Fake News Media doesn't want to get near that story. I made the right choice for the American People – ALWAYS, AMERICA FIRST!," he posted on Truth Social.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday cited the "hypocrisy" of Europeans, as they "continue to finance Vladimir Putin" while criticising the US's agreement to buy Russian diesel.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)