EU Unlikely to Rely on Sanctions to End Russian LNG Imports

The European Union is unlikely to propose phasing out Russian liquefied natural gas as part of a new package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.

Author of the article:

Bloomberg News

Ewa Krukowska and Alberto Nardelli

Published Jan 24, 2025  •  2 minute read

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(Bloomberg) — The European Union is unlikely to propose phasing out Russian liquefied natural gas as part of a new package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.

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The bloc will instead rely on a roadmap planned for next month to find a way to end imports of Russian fossil fuels, they said, asking not to be identified because the talks are private.

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A group of 10 European Union nations is pushing to toughen measures against Russia by introducing restrictions on natural gas and LNG. However, sanctions by the EU require unanimity, which would be difficult to achieve amid vocal opposition from Hungary and the continued reliance of some other countries on gas from Moscow, they added. 

The bloc has been discussing how to exit Russian LNG, Bloomberg previously reported.

Russian LNG remains one of Europe’s last major energy dependencies on that nation after Moscow ended pipeline flows. The EU brought in record volumes of the super-chilled fuel from Russia last year, with France, Spain and Belgium the biggest importers. 

European politicians have stayed clear of tighter restrictions on the fuel to avoid the price shocks that hurt the region’s already-struggling industries in recent years. But from 2026-2027, new supply from plants under construction in the US and Qatar is expected to help ease prices. 

The US and EU have been gradually sanctioning some Russian LNG projects to curb Moscow’s export expansion plans, but those efforts have done little to reduce the region’s appetite for Russian supplies. 

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The 27-nation bloc aims to approve its 16th package of sanctions on Russia on Feb. 24 and is scheduled to unveil a roadmap to phase out Russian fossil fuels on Feb. 26. While that plan will outline measures to be taken to end the imports, detailed legislation will likely be presented at a later stage. 

EU regulations typically require weighted majority from member states and majority support from the European Parliament before they can be adopted.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had called for ending imports of energy from Moscow by 2027 after Europe was engulfed by an energy crisis unleashed by Moscow attack on Ukraine.

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