On Wednesday, dozens of Greenpeace activists staged a protest in the Belgian port of Zeebrugge against the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia and the USA to Europe. The DPA agency reports that around 70 activists from 17 countries participated, including some on kayaks in the water.

Inflatable figures of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump were placed on a model LNG tanker. According to news agency Belga, this protest temporarily blocked the entrance of vessels into the port.

“While the EU discusses new sanctions against Russia and Trump continues to pressure the EU to buy more American gas, Greenpeace calls on EU leaders to reduce dependence on fossil gas by phasing it out completely and accelerating the transition to renewable energy,” the group stated, warning about the destructive impact of continued fossil gas use on the climate.

In 2024, the European Union imported over 100 billion cubic meters of LNG, with nearly 45% coming from the USA and about 20% from Russia. The Zeebrugge terminal is a key import hub that supplies gas, the burning of which contributes to global warming, to other EU countries.

Additionally, in the first half of 2025, the EU imported liquefied gas from Russia worth 4.5 billion euros – a 29% increase compared to the same period last year. This year, the European Commission proposed a regulation project to phase out the import of Russian LNG by the end of 2027. According to media reports, under pressure from US President Donald Trump, the EU wants to expedite the phase-out of Russian LNG.