Published May 6, 2025
By Obaro Becky
The European Commission will propose next month a ban on new Russian gas deals by the end of this year, and a ban on imports under existing contracts with Moscow by the end of 2027.
A draft document quoted by Reuters, due to be published on Tuesday, said the European Union set a non-binding aim to end Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027 after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
A draft of the “roadmap,” setting out how the Commission plans to phase out Russian energy, said that in June, it will present a legal proposal to ban remaining Russian gas and LNG imports under existing contracts by end-2027.
The Commission will also propose in June a ban on imports under new Russian gas import deals and spot contracts by the end of 2025, said the draft, which could still change before it is published.
“If implemented in alignment with global market developments and reliable suppliers, the phase-out of Russian gas imports is expected to have limited impact on European energy prices and security of supply,” said the draft.
The legal proposals would need approval from the European Parliament and a reinforced majority of EU countries.
The EU has imposed sanctions on Russian coal and seaborne oil shipments, but not on gas due to opposition from Slovakia and Hungary, which receive Russian pipeline supplies and say switching to other suppliers would hike energy prices. Sanctions require unanimous approval from all 27 EU countries.
Around 19% of Europe’s gas still comes from Russia, via the TurkStream pipeline and liquefied natural gas shipments.
That is far below the roughly 40% Russia supplied before 2022. But European buyers still have “take-or-pay” contracts with Gazprom, which require those who refuse gas deliveries to pay for much of the contracted volumes.
The Commission has been assessing legal options to allow European companies to break existing Russian gas contracts without facing financial penalties.
In the Kenyan village of Kamathatha, farmer-turned-seed advocate Martha Njenga is teaching fellow villagers traditional seed preservation methods – empowering them to save and replant seeds season after season.
The draft did not specify details of the measures Brussels intends to use to do this. Lawyers have said it would be difficult to invoke “force majeure” to quit these deals, and that buyers could face penalties or arbitration for doing so.
Russian gas pipeline imports fell sharply since late 2021, while LNG imports rose
Uncontracted “spot” purchases made up around 31% of the Russian LNG Europe bought last year, Rystad Energy data show.
As it attempts to cut decades-old energy ties with Russia, the European Commission has signalled its willingness to buy more U.S. LNG, a step President Donald Trump has demanded from Europe as a way of shrinking its trade surplus with the United States.
Norway 33.6%, Russia 18.8%, United States 16.7%, Algeria 14.1%, United Kingdom 4.8%, Azerbaijan 4.2%, Qatar 4.1%, Others 3.7%
The Commission is also concerned about energy prices, and has said any measures to restrict Russian energy imports must hurt Moscow more than the EU, and take into account the impact on fuel costs.
The U.S. is pushing Russia for a peace deal with Ukraine, which, if reached, may reopen the door for Russian energy and ease sanctions.
The European Commission had originally planned to publish its roadmap in March, but delayed it in part due to uncertainty around these developments.
