BRUSSELS, Oct 22: The European Union has agreed to stop importing Russian oil and gas by 2028, Al Jazeera reported, marking a decisive step to end energy ties that many believe have financed Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Nearly all EU energy ministers backed the draft regulation in Luxembourg on Monday, which targets both pipeline oil and liquefied natural gas.
The plan sets deadlines to phase out new Russian gas contracts from January 2026, short-term deals by June 2026, and long-term contracts by January 2028. The measure now heads to the European Parliament for approval, where passage is expected, Al Jazeera added.
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As part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on Russian energy during the war in Ukraine, the plan also echoes repeated calls by US President Donald Trump for European countries to stop “funding the war against themselves,” Al Jazeera noted.
Denmark’s energy minister Lars Aagaard called the proposal an essential move toward European energy independence, saying that despite major progress, the region has yet to fully cut Russian supplies. Denmark currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, Al Jazeera said.
Russian oil now represents just 3 percent of EU imports, but gas from Russia still covers 13 percent of the bloc’s total gas demand, bringing in more than 15 billion euros ($17.5 billion) each year, Al Jazeera reported, citing the European Council. Most of Russia’s fossil fuel exports now go to China, India, and Turkiye, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Al Jazeera added.
Hungary and Slovakia remain the EU’s biggest importers of Russian energy, followed by France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, Al Jazeera reported.
Both Hungary and Slovakia, seen as maintaining warmer relations with Moscow, voted against the new regulation. Still, it passed with a weighted majority of 15 member states.
Hungary’s foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said the decision would endanger his country’s secure energy supply, according to AFP, as quoted by Al Jazeera. The final text allows some flexibility for landlocked countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, Al Jazeera said.
In addition, the EU is preparing another sanctions package that would move up the LNG import ban to January 2027, one year earlier than planned, Al Jazeera reported. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the new sanctions could be approved later this week, according to Al Jazeera.
