European Union states agreed on Monday to ban all gas supplies from Russia until the end of 2027, a move aimed at ending the bloc’s dependence on gas supplies from Moscow entirely despite the war with Ukraine.
EU energy ministers met in Luxembourg and agreed on a common position by endorsing the European Commission’s plan to phase out pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia.
However, this decision is subject to approval by the EU Parliament.
The plan is part of the EU’s broader goal of phasing out Russian energy supplies as a whole.
Danish Energy Minister Lars Aagaard, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, called the move a “fundamental” step towards making Europe energy independent.
“Although we have worked hard and pushed in recent years to get Russian gas and oil from Europe, we are not there yet,” Aagaard said.
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What is the EU’s plan for phasing out Russian gas?
At a meeting on Monday in Luxembourg, EU energy ministers agreed to ban Russian supplies under existing short-term contracts until mid-June.
Hungary and Slovakia, which are landlocked countries, will be exempted from this.
After 18 months of implementation of the initial phase, EU countries will begin to ban long-term contracts with Russian gas.
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Negotiations with the European Parliament, which is interested in a faster exit from Russian gas and a halt to oil imports from the beginning of next year, can now begin. The aim is to reach a final agreement by the end of the year.
Hungary and Slovakia did not support the ban.
EU strategy to ban Russian energy
The European Union is pursuing a dual strategy to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels after President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The ban, known as RepowerEU, is part of the strategy.
Along with this, the European Commission proposed to ban Russian LNG by the end of the year.
Leaders are likely to discuss the proposal in Brussels later this week.
However, sanctions need unanimous agreement from the EU’s 27 countries, which has sometimes been difficult to achieve.
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Trade restrictions like those approved Monday instead require the support of a weighted majority of 15 countries.
All but Hungary and Slovakia, which are diplomatically closer to the Kremlin and still import Russian gas via pipeline, supported the latest move, according to diplomats.
The EU is under pressure from the United States to speed up its strategy to cut energy ties with Russia as President Donald Trump wants the bloc to buy more US oil.
The EU receives about 15 percent of its LNG supplies from Moscow, making Russia the second largest supplier of the fuel to Europe after the US.
