[HIGHLIGHTS] France calls for a decisive stance against Putin - but leads the EU in gas payments to Moscow

French President Emmanuel Macron portrays himself as a bitter supporter of Ukraine in the Ukraine war. Nevertheless, France is paying hundreds of millions of euros to Russia.

Paris is said to have transferred over 600 million euros for deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Russia since the beginning of the year. The increase in delivery volumes compared to the previous year is greater in France than in any other EU country. This discrepancy between France's public positioning and actual actions is causing a lack of understanding in other parts of Europe. Gas from Russia still accounts for 15 percent of the EU's energy imports. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, the EU Commission announced that it would no longer import gas and oil from Russia from 2027. Total also holds a 16 percent stake in the Russian energy company Nowatek. Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne told Montel News last year that an EU ban on Russian LNG imports was “unreasonable.” The payments to the Russian industry are likely to continue until the final import stop in 2027, until then France will probably have to do a balancing act.