EU intends to accelerate Russian oil and gas abandonment
Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Getty Images)
The European Union may accelerate its complete refusal to purchase oil and gas from Russia, which is currently planned for 2027, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says.
According to her, it is necessary to increase pressure on Russia to force it to the negotiating table.
"We need more sanctions," says the head of the European Commission.
She notes that the EU is currently working on the 19th package together with its partners.
"We are particularly looking at phasing out Russian fossil fuels faster, the shadow fleet and third countries," von der Leyen adds.
New package of sanctions
US President Donald Trump last week called on European leaders to stop buying Russian oil. He also called on the EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on China and India to put pressure on Moscow.
EU representatives are currently in Washington to discuss the coordination of new sanctions against Russia with the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Oil and gas
The EU has already banned imports of crude oil from Russia supplied by sea and imposed a price cap on Russian oil at $46.2 per barrel.
The bloc is currently negotiating a complete ban on Russian oil and gas imports by January 1, 2028, starting with new purchases and short-term contracts next year.
Hungary and Slovakia, which import about 200-250 thousand barrels of Russian oil per day, equivalent to about 3% of EU oil demand, are opposed to accelerating the process.
The EU's purchases of Russian gas remain significantly higher. According to EU data, Europe will purchase about 13% of its gas from Russia this year, down from about 45% before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
