The European Union (EU) has moved to end all imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027, following a majority vote by member states during a meeting of European energy ministers in Luxembourg.
The measure is aimed
at depriving Moscow of a major source of revenue used to fund its war in
Ukraine. Denmark, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, aims to
secure final approval for the ban before the start of the coming year, reported
ONA.
The proposal faced
strong opposition from Slovakia and Hungary, two landlocked nations heavily
dependent on Russian energy. However, their objections failed to gather the
majority needed to block the decision.
The EU has been
working to eliminate its dependency on Russian fossil fuels since the
escalation of the conflict in February 2022.
While the bloc has
already completely halted imports of Russian oil, it continues to rely on
Russian natural gas supplies.
Russia's share of the EU's total gas imports
has declined significantly, falling from 45 per cent in 2021 to 19 per cent in
2024.
