“Russia weaponised energy like it weaponises information, like it weaponises all the possibilities that it has to influence the decisionmaking process in the EU but not only in EU – this is something we have to keep in mind to avoid aggression of Russia in the future,” the Ukrainian ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, told a Brussels event on Friday (17 October).
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Commission has pushed to phase out Russian fossil fuels — but some member states, especially landlocked countries like Hungary and Slovakia, have been reluctant to do so.
In May 2022, the commission published the strategy REPowerEU to phase out all Russian fossil fuel imports by the end of 2027.
To substitute imports of Russian gas (which accounted for over 40 percent of EU’s gas pipeline consumption in 2022), the EU has turned to others, including Norway, which was the biggest supplier of pipeline gas to the EU in the first half of 2025, accounting for 55 percent.
Even though the volumes of Russian gas have fallen sharply since then, Moscow is still a valuable importer of pipeline gas and liquified gas (LNG) to the EU, accounting for 19 percent in 2024.
Notably, despite a commitment to phase out energy purchases from Russia, LNG imports have grown by 43 percent from 2021 to 2024, according to Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, an energy analyst working for the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
In June the EU commission started a new push to force countries to stop Russian gas imports.
But Hungary and Slovakia have shown reluctance. Both countries benefit from cheap Russian gas and transit revenues and Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orbán and Slovakia's PM Robert Fico have closer ties to Moscow. They openly oppose EU policies they see as anti-Russian, particularly regarding Ukraine support.
On Thursday, MEPs responsible for the file backed the proposal, pushing for a ban of Russian fossil fuels by 1 January 2026, with some exceptions, and a full stop by 1 January 2027 – one year before the commission’s proposal.
In addition, MEPs deleted a possibility for the commission to temporarily suspend the ban.
The vote passed with 83 in favour, nine against, and one abstention.
The position still needs to be approved by the plenary in October.
On Monday (20 October), EU energy ministers are expected to reach an agreement. National capitals advocate for a gradual phase-out of remaining gas and oil imports from Russia, with a full prohibition in place by January 2028.
Before this is adopted, MEPs and representatives from EU member states will enter inter-institutional negotiations to agree on the details – clarifying how long European consumers and businesses will keep funding the Kremlin’s war machine.
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Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.
Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.