EU Agrees to End Gas Imports from Russia
The Council of the European Union announced that the blocS energy ministers support a proposal to phase out Russian oil and gas imports by January 2028, according to webangah News Agency.
During a meeting in Luxembourg, EU energy ministers approved plans under which new contracts for Russian gas imports will be banned starting January 2026. Existing short-term contracts will end by June 2026, while long-term contracts are set to be terminated by January 2028.
the legislation is not finalized yet. EU member states must negotiate with the European Parliament, which is still debating its position on the matter.
The European Union aims to cut off Kremlin revenues from energy sales used to finance Russia’s war in Ukraine by eliminating energy imports from Russia.
Currently, Russia supplies about 12 percent of EU gas imports-a sharp decline from roughly 45 percent before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Hungary, France, and Belgium remain among those still receiving Russian gas.
The European Commission designed these proposals to ensure approval despite previous opposition from Hungary and Slovakia-two countries that continue importing Russian oil.
