A new Gazprom plant is shipping its first liquefied natural gas cargo to Greece just 6 months after the EU vowed to drastically reduce Russian gas imports

The European Union pledged to reduce their dependence on natural gas from Russia. New deals are still moving forward.

According to a person with direct knowledge of the situation, the first cargo from the Portovaya plant will go to Greece.

The identity of the buyer and size of the cargo was not reported, but Greece has only one facility that supplies the domestic market, as well as Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

The EU plans to cut the bloc's dependence on Russian gas by two-thirds by the end of 2022.

Europe depends on Russia for 40% of its natural gas needs. Russia has reduced natural-gas flows to the Continent due to sanctions.

There are many challenges in the short-term after Russia halted natural-gas supply. Europe is setting upliquefied natural gas (Liquefied Natural Gas) terminals to counter the energy crisis.

Russia is still being imported by Sweden. Last week, activists from Greenpeace Nordic blocked a tanker from unloading Russian fuel in Sweden.

"The fact that Russian fossil gas is still allowed to flow into Sweden, more than six months after Putin began his invasion of Ukraine, is not ok," said a campaign leader at Greenpeace Nordic.