European Union imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) reached their highest level since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine in the first quarter of the year, according to research published Wednesday.

The surge came as nations worldwide scramble for energy supplies to replace disrupted deliveries during the Middle East war.

But the EU has vowed to end all imports of Russian gas and oil by the end of 2027 due to the war in Ukraine.

Russian gas shipments by pipeline to the EU have largely stopped. However, countries are still buying its LNG via tankers, led by France, Spain and Belgium, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), an independent research group.

Its report found that the EU imported 6.9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Russian gas in the first three months of this year, a 16% increase from the first quarter last year, and the highest since 2022.

The trend continued in April, with imports up 17% year-over-year, IEEFA told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Russia remains the second-biggest supplier of LNG to the bloc, providing around 14% of the total, the group said.

Still, EU nations have increasingly turned toward the United States, with imports of U.S. LNG more than tripling between 2021 and 2025, it said.

In the first quarter alone, EU imports of U.S. LNG jumped 27%.

"The U.S. will become the EU's largest gas supplier in 2026 and could account for 80% of its LNG imports by 2028," the institute said, noting that U.S. gas is the most expensive for European buyers.

"Europe's shift from pipeline gas to LNG was meant to provide security of supply and diversification," Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, the IEEFA's lead energy analyst for Europe, said in a statement.

"Yet disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East and an overreliance on U.S. LNG show that Europe's plan has failed on both counts," she said.