EU agrees on historic full ban of Russian fossil fuels
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed a “historic agreement” on a complete ban on imports of Russian fossil fuels, saying the goal is to reduce Russia’s war-financing revenues to zero.
“Today is truly a historic day for our Union. This is the beginning of a new era, an era of full European energy independence from Russia,” von der Leyen said in a statement to the media.
She highlighted that the EU has significantly reduced Russia’s revenues from fossil fuel exports, CE Report quotes FENA.
“At the start of the war, we were paying Russia €12 billion a month for fossil fuels; now we are at €1.5 billion, which is still too much. Our goal is to bring this down to zero,” von der Leyen said.
The EU Council and European Parliament reached an agreement on a regulation that introduces a legally binding, gradual ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas, with a full ban by the end of 2026 and fall 2027, respectively.
The deal, reached by lawmakers late Tuesday for short-term contracts concluded before June 17, 2025, stipulates a ban on Russian LNG imports from April 25, 2026, and from June 17, 2026, for pipeline-delivered gas.
For long-term LNG import contracts, the ban takes effect on January 1, 2027, as part of the 19th package of sanctions against Russia.
For long-term pipeline gas import contracts, the ban takes effect on September 30, 2027, provided that gas storage is sufficiently filled, and no later than November 1, 2027.
Following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, EU leaders agreed at the Versailles summit in March 2022 on a gradual phase-out of dependence on Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible, Hina recalls.
As a result, imports of Russian gas and oil into the EU have significantly decreased in recent years. However, while oil imports fell below 3 percent in 2025 thanks to the current sanctions regime, Russian gas still accounts for an estimated 13 percent of EU imports in 2025, valued at over €15 billion annually.
Under the agreement, the Commission is expected in the coming months to propose a ban on Russian oil imports to Hungary and Slovakia by the end of 2027.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin uses energy as a weapon against us, blackmailed EU member states, and used the profits to finance his terrible war against our friends in Ukraine. Today we say no more, and never again,” said Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen.
International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol said the EU has achieved an incredible result over the past three years, increasing renewable energy production by 40 percent.
He also advocated for the continued use of nuclear energy and called on countries that are gradually phasing it out to return to it.
Foto/ Amer Kajmović
