The answer, of course, is usually about money:
Why is Europe still getting gas from Russia?
Still, Europe never fully banned Russian gas — even though the money Moscow earns from it supports the Kremlin's state budget, helps to prop up the ruble currency and ultimately funds the war machine.
It's a testimony to how dependent Europe was on Russian energy — and, to a lesser extent, still is. About 3% of Europe's gas imports flow through Sudzha, part of the roughly 15% of imports that came from Russia last year.
But Europe remains on edge about its energy supply given that it's an energy importer and just suffered an outburst of inflation triggered by high energy prices. The Sudzha flows loom larger for Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, who would have to arrange new supplies.
The European Union has come up with a plan to end imports of Russian fossil fuels entirely by 2027, but progress has been uneven lately across member states.
Austria increased its Russian gas imports from 80% to 98% over the past two years. While Italy has cut direct imports, it still gets Russian-origin gas through Austria.
The continent as a whole is still very dependent on Russian gas, despite Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine being well into its third year.
www.euronews.com