The five EU countries whose imports from Russia have increased since the invasion

Five European Union countries have seen their imports from Russia increase by more than 50 per cent since the invasion began, Telegraph analysis shows.

The value of imports to Hungary, Slovenia, Greece, Bulgaria and Spain were as much as 250 per cent higher than average in November last year.

Taking into account military and humanitarian support for Ukraine, Hungary emerges as the least committed ally across the EU.

The Telegraph’s Ukraine scorecard assesses countries on four criteria linked to trade with Russia, financial support and supply of heavy weaponry.

The findings show that the UK and Poland have been most ardent in their support of Ukraine.

The UK has all but eradicated imports from Russia by 97 per cent, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Meanwhile, Poland’s substantial financial commitments place it third in the world for economic support relative to a country's wealth.

Fifteen of the 57 countries assessed scored no points on the scorecard, including India, where imports have risen eightfold.

Some countries, including France, have not added imports data in the period of the analysis so have been excluded.

Hungary's 'double talk'

Hungary’s ranking makes the country a pariah among other joint EU-Nato members.

In November 2022, its imports from the country hit 262 per cent above a three-year average.

And while it has contributed some financial support through EU packages, it has so far not donated any significant bilateral military or humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

“What I’ve seen in the past 12 years is an increasing friendship and increasing dependence on Russia,” says Dr Eszter Simon, an expert in Hungarian politics at Nottingham Trent University.

“Prime minister Viktor Orbán has made a complete U-turn with Russia since 2010 whilst keeping the benefits of Western institutions.”

Balancing its strong economic ties and a pro-Russian base with EU and Nato desires to isolate Putin has led to Hungary engaging in “double talk” to appease both sides, says Dr Simon.

For example, while Hungary publicly condemned Russia via the UN, it has since then called for Kyiv to begin peace talks; contrary to European allies.

It backed the EU’s sanction package last June, but has since dragged its heels over the details. They have since said any sanctions impacting nuclear energy should be halted due to Hungary’s links to Russia's state energy company.

But Hungary is not alone in its historical reliance on Russia.

Slovenia and Bulgaria are among the eastern European countries to have seen an increase in the value of imports since the start of the war.

The EU has made plans to drastically reduce the most lucrative import from Russia - fossil fuels - but the task is more difficult for those most reliant on it.

Many of these include eastern European countries, including the Czech Republic, Romania, Lithuania and Slovakia; all of whom imported at least half of their stock from Russia.

Unlike Hungary, almost all the other Soviet bloc countries have used the war as a catalyst in their move towards the West.

At the end of November, former Soviet states made up the top five countries in economic and military support to Ukraine, relative to GDP.

Latvia and Estonia have seen their aid contributions equate to over one per cent of GDP.

For example, the Czech Republic has committed some 130 battle tanks to Ukraine, equivalent to 20 per cent of its existing stocks, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Europe's gas problem

Germany, which itself imported half of its gas from Russia, has managed to cut imports by a third.

Despite causing frustration over its tank policy, Germany has also committed heavy weaponry equivalent to 12 per cent of its stock to the war, including armoured vehicles, howitzers and rocket launchers.

The UK tops the ranks in Europe, having almost completely removed Russian imports from its trade mix.

Its focus on military support, equivalent to 60 per cent of all European aid sent to the country, gained the UK the honour of Volodymyr Zelensky’s first visit outside of Ukraine in 2023.

But the UK was in a unique position to sever ties with Russia so quickly.

Pre-war, just five per cent of its gas came from Russia, making diversification easier.

Across the EU, gas imports from Russia had dropped from 50 per cent of the total to just 20 per cent by November.

But the move away from Russian gas has been more difficult for others.

Last year, Spain’s trade with Algeria - one of the largest exporters of oil to the EU - collapsed over a territorial dispute in the Western Sahara. The result was the propulsion of Russia to become the country’s second-largest importer, more than doubling its imports to the country.

India's Russian trade boom

Outside of Europe, just nine countries have made significant military contributions to Ukraine.

These include the USA, whose $24 billion worth of military aid is the largest in the world, as well as Japan, New Zealand and Australia

However, for many countries, the war in Ukraine has made little impact on how they approach their relations with Russia.

In India, for example, it has mostly been business as usual, says Dr Bhavna Davé, an expert in Eurasian geopolitics at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

“India has turned a lot to the West since the Cold War, but at the same time they remain a close partner with Russia. It has been buying a lot of arms from Russia,” she says. “And there is a mutual whereby India supports some of Russia’s resolutions in the UN and Russia supports their relationship.”

Even if India wanted to support the West’s approach to Ukraine, its reliance on Russian weapons technology and business would not be strategically viable.

Instead, while Western countries have been struggling to wean themselves off Russian oil, India has used its non-aligned position to increase imports of cheaper oil in abundance.

In September, India’s imports from Russia jumped to $1.3 billion, up eightfold from the pre-war average.

Similarly, China has seen imports increase by around 40 per cent, reaching almost $9 billion

Both these countries have indicated they have sent some humanitarian aid - barely significant next to their GDPs.