European Union member states gave final approval on Monday to ban imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027, making their pledge to sever ties with what was once their largest supplier legally binding, nearly four years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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EU energy ministers adopted the legislation during a meeting in Brussels on Monday. Slovakia and Hungary voted against the law, while Bulgaria abstained.
Hungary said it would challenge the law before the European Court of Justice.
The ban was able to pass with the support of 72% of member states, allowing the EU to override opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, which remain heavily dependent on Russian energy imports and seek to maintain close relations with Moscow.
Under the agreement, the European Union will stop importing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the end of 2026, and pipeline gas by 30 September 2027.
The law allows the deadline to be extended to 1 November 2027 at the latest if a member state faces difficulties filling its gas storage facilities with non-Russian gas ahead of the winter season.
According to the latest data released by the EU, Russia supplied more than 40% of the bloc’s gas needs before 2022, but that share fell to around 13% in 2025.
However, some EU countries continue to pay Moscow for oil and gas imports via pipelines and LNG, a practice that contradicts their efforts to support Ukraine and restrict funding to the Russian economy during the war.
Reuters
