The European Commission is moving to ban the enforcement of existing contracts by 2027 and the signing of new ones this year.
The European Commission is set to propose legal measures to phase out imports of all Russian gas and liquefied natural gas to the European Union by the end of 2027, it said on Tuesday.
The EU said it would end its decades-old energy relations with Moscow after the Kremlin launched its full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Next month, the commission, which acts as the EU’s executive body, will present a legal proposal to ban remaining Russian gas and liquefied natural gas imports under existing contracts by the end of 2027.
June will also see the commission propose a ban on Russian gas imports under new deals and existing spot contracts by the end of the current year.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said: “Since February 2022, we’ve actually spent more money buying fossil fuels from Russia in the EU than we’ve given in aid to Ukraine.
“Obviously, that will not stand.”
Washington is pushing for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, which, if reached, may reopen the door for Russian energy.
However, while some industry leaders have indicated support for a return to Russian gas in the case of a peace agreement, Jorgensen argued it would still be unwise to rely on Russian imports again.
Since Tuesday’s statement, the Kremlin has said that excluding Russian energy was against the 27-nation bloc’s own interests.
“They reduce the competitive environment, preferring more expensive goods from the United States and other countries. One can only hope that the next generation of European politicians will evaluate the situation more soberly,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Around 19 percent of gas still comes to the continent from Russia, via the TurkStream pipeline and LNG shipments—down from around 45 percent before the Ukraine war escalated in 2022.
The EU has signaled its willingness to buy more American LNG to replace what it currently buys from the East, which is one of the demands U.S. President Donald Trump has made of the EU to shrink its trade surplus with the United States.
By Guy Birchall
