The European Commission has confirmed a drop in the level of gas in EU storage facilities to 70%, but does not consider this a problem, emphasizing that the level is still higher than it was in early January in the years leading up to Russia's special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine. European Commission spokeswoman Anne-Kaisa Itkonen was asked this question at a briefing in Brussels.

“The level of gas in EU storage facilities is about 70%,” she said. Asked to comment on the fact that storage facilities were 85% full at this time last year, she clarified that the current level “is still higher than in the pre-SWO period.

She did not respond to a question about record Russian LNG deliveries to the EU in 2024, saying only that “there have been fluctuations in the markets, which have various reasons.”