EU to exempt US and Qatar from checks under Russian gas ban – Reuters
Illustrative photo: The European Union will exempt gas from the US and Qatar from additional checks (Getty Images)
The European Union will exempt gas from the US and Qatar from additional checks under the ban on Russian gas supplies. This decision will speed up deliveries from alternative energy sources and support the EU’s energy security, Reuters reports.
The EU is introducing new rules for gas import controls as part of its plan to phase out Russian gas by the end of 2027.
According to a draft document from the European Commission, companies supplying gas to the EU will be required to submit prior confirmation of the country of origin five days before the cargo arrives.
However, this requirement will be waived for major suppliers and countries considered low-risk in terms of Russian gas.
The draft lists the US, Norway, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Algeria, and Nigeria among these countries.
A spokesperson for the European Commission noted that the draft could still change before its official publication.
Norway and the US remain key gas suppliers to the EU, while Russia, previously the leading exporter, sharply reduced deliveries after 2021.
In 2025, Norway supplied 89 billion cubic meters of gas to the EU, the US 81 billion, and Russia only 37 billion. By comparison, Russian gas reached 151 billion cubic meters in 2021.
EU moves to phase out Russian gas
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, reducing energy dependence on Russia has become one of the European Union’s top priorities. Since then, Russian fuel has been gradually displaced from the European energy market.
On January 26, the EU Council formally approved a complete ban on Russian gas imports. Deliveries of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU will stop on January 1, 2027, and pipeline gas on September 30, 2027. The corresponding regulation on the phased withdrawal from Russian gas was supported by all 27 EU member states.
On December 3, 2025, representatives of the European Council and the European Parliament reached a preliminary political agreement to fully end Russian natural gas imports by 2027.
On December 17, the European Parliament officially approved the EU plan for a phased withdrawal from Russian gas purchases by the end of 2027.
Brussels has repeatedly emphasized that the EU does not intend to return to Russian energy even after the war ends.
