EU Expedited Ban on Russian Gas Imports to Satisfy Trump and Strengthen Sanctions

The European Union announced on Friday its plan to accelerate the ban on Russian gas imports by a year as part of a new sanctions package aimed at depleting Moscow’s financial resources for its military operations, also in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s expectations.

This marks the 19th set of EU sanctions imposed on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which also targets companies, banks, and traders in other nations, including China and India, that are helping Russia evade penalties.

According to the proposal, pending approval from the EU’s 27 member states, the European Commission intends to cut back on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia by January 2027.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised this “strong” package as «a significant move that will amplify pressure on Russia’s military capabilities and deliver a concrete impact.»

«Revenue from fossil fuels underpins Russia’s war economy. Our goal is to diminish this revenue,» stated Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission.

«It is time to shut off the faucet.»

This latest sanctions package emerges amid U.S. efforts to persuade the EU to cease fossil fuel imports from Russia, while the EU hopes to encourage Trump to adopt a more assertive position against Moscow.

Although the U.S. leader has refrained from increasing pressure on President Vladimir Putin so far, he indicated last week he would be willing to escalate his stance if allies halted purchases of Russian oil and imposed tariffs on China.

The EU has already restricted most Russian oil imports through prior sanctions, reducing its share from 29% at the beginning of 2021 to just 2% by mid-2025.

Hungary and Slovakia, which maintain closer ties to Moscow and Trump, are the only remaining countries still importing Russian oil.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted that Brussels is advancing its previous commitment to eliminate all Russian LNG imports from the end of 2027 to the end of 2026 by a full year.

«Moscow believes it can persist with the war. We are ensuring it pays the cost for this,» she expressed on X.

Zelensky also extended thanks to the EU for its «leadership and unity.»

«We anticipate a prompt ratification of the 19th sanctions package and hope other partners will follow suit and expand these measures,» he stated.

Despite ongoing efforts to reduce dependency from decades of reliance, Russia still provided 19% of the EU’s gas in 2024, compared to 45% before the conflict.

This reliance is partly due to an increase in LNG shipments transported via sea, which have somewhat balanced out the significant decline in pipeline imports.

Last year, Europe received 32 billion cubic meters of gas through the TurkStream pipeline, along with 20 billion cubic meters from LNG imports.

The EU has implemented 18 rounds of sanctions in response to the invasion of Ukraine, despite some member states, particularly Hungary and Slovakia, opposing these measures.

Von der Leyen mentioned that with the latest sanctions, the EU is «targeting those who support Russia’s war by purchasing oil in violation of sanctions.»

«We are focusing on refineries, oil traders, and petrochemical companies in third countries, notably China,» she remarked.

Additionally, Brussels aims to include cryptocurrency platforms and Russia’s MIR payment system, designed to reduce dependence on U.S. networks, in its sanctions, as highlighted by both von der Leyen and Kallas.

The newly proposed package also aims to blacklist an additional 118 ships in Russia’s «shadow fleet» of older tankers used to evade oil export restrictions, along with 45 companies linked to Russia’s military-industrial sector.

Entities from Russia, China, and India will face export bans and stricter enforcement measures, Kallas indicated.

While these actions may seem aimed at accommodating Trump, they fall short of his demand for allies to impose tariffs of up to 100% on Beijing and New Delhi.

This aligns with Brussels’ general reluctance to impose tariffs, as it is currently negotiating a trade agreement with India and lacks interest in initiating a broader trade conflict with China.

Some diplomats have pointed out that concurrent U.S. calls for European action align with U.S. commercial interests, potentially allowing Trump to avoid taking a firm stance against Russia himself.

The United States, being the leading oil producer in the world, is the largest supplier of LNG to Europe, contributing nearly 45% of total imports.

Most LNG enters Europe via terminals in countries such as France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium, although it is unclear how much of this is consumed domestically versus transiting to other nations.