Warsaw’s energy minister’s comments were made just days after multiple Russian drones entered Polish airspace.
Poland urged European Union member states that are still buying Russian oil to end those imports by the end of 2026, Warsaw’s Energy Minister Milosz Motyka said on Wednesday.
The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, announced it would propose speeding up the elimination of fossil fuel imports from Moscow on Wednesday following a phone call between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump, but did not name a specific date.
The EU previously set Jan. 1, 2028, as the date to cut itself off from Russian energy; however, Motyka said this should happen two years earlier, particularly in light of the Russian aggression.
His comments come after multiple Russian drones entered Poland’s airspace last week.
“Poland consistently works to ensure the energy security of the region and of Europe as a whole,” Motyka told the Polish Senate. “Today, I have addressed a letter to the energy ministers of the EU member states appealing for a common goal—a complete end to Russian oil imports by the end of 2026.”
“This is a clear signal that Europe can act with solidarity and decisiveness in the face of Russian aggression. Poland has already achieved independence from Russian fuels—now it’s time for joint, ambitious action by the entire EU,” he added.
In the letter to fellow EU energy ministers, which was also posted on X, Motyka wrote that ending imports by the end of 2026 “would enhance the coherence of our actions, establish a clear timeline, and demonstrate our resolve to achieve independence from oil supplies burdened with political and strategic risks.”
Brussels has imposed extensive sanctions on most Russian oil imports, but Slovakia and Hungary still receive Russian supplies via the Druzhba (meaning “friendship” in Slavic languages) oil pipeline.
That pipeline was recently damaged in an attack Hungary blamed on Ukraine, an allegation Kyiv did not appear to deny.
Budapest and Bratislava maintain closer ties with Moscow than the rest of the bloc and have defended their continued purchase of Russian oil, saying alternatives are too expensive.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly called for the EU to drop its plan to stop Russian energy from being imported, and his Environment Minister Aniko Raisz echoed those sentiments on Thursday.
“I think you know our position. We are one of the few landlocked countries in the region. So, our position has always been guided by the energy security for Hungary,” Raisz told reporters in Brussels.
By Guy Birchall
