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EU is paying 35 times as much for Russian fuel as it's given Ukraine for defense, chief diplomat says

06 April 2022 15:42 (UTC +04:00)

The amount of money the European Union has given Russia for fuel since its invasion is 35 times more than what it's given Ukraine for defense, the bloc's foreign policy chief said, APA reports citing BBC.

Josep Borrell told the European Parliament on Wednesday that since the invasion, the bloc had paid Russia 35 billion euros ($38 billion) for fuel and sent Ukraine 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) to bolster its defense against Russia.

"We have to help [the Ukrainians] defend themselves ... We have given Ukraine 1 billion euros. It might seem a lot but 1 billion euros is what we pay Putin every day for the energy he provides us," he said.

The EU has imposed heavy sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

But Europe relies heavily on Russian fuel for energy, which means its actions against Russia are limited unless countries put their own energy supplies, and economies, at risk.

The European Commission announced on Tuesday that the EU would reduce its reliance on Russian gas by two thirds by next year.