Yesterday, 26 January, the European Union officially approved a decision to impose a complete ban on imports of Russian gas. According to Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, this is a decisive step and an important achievement for Estonia, strengthening Europe’s security, reducing dependencies in the energy sector, and having a direct impact on Russia’s economic capacity.
“Energy supplies play a significant role in financing aggression,” Tsahkna stressed. “Exports of fossil fuels account for nearly one third of Russia’s state budget, and these revenues are used to continue the war in Ukraine and to prepare for confrontation with the West. With today’s decision, the European Union takes a clear step away from Russia’s energy sphere, as a country that actively disregards the norms of international law has no place in our energy market.”
According to the foreign minister, Russia’s increasingly intense attacks in Ukraine – which deliberately target the country’s energy infrastructure and have left millions of Ukrainians without heating and electricity – require even stronger pressure on Moscow. “Russia has clearly demonstrated that it has no interest in peace. We must adopt a strong 20th sanctions package that includes additional measures against Russia’s fossil fuel sector and the shadow fleet that supports the Russian economy,” the foreign minister emphasised.
Since the start of the full-scale war, Estonia has consistently called on the European Union and its member states to end imports of Russian energy and to impose additional sanctions on the energy sector. The EU regulation approved today establishes a legally binding, phased ban on imports of both liquefied natural gas and pipeline gas from Russia. The ban will enter into force six weeks after the regulation is published, with a transition period applying to existing contracts. A full ban on liquefied natural gas imports will take effect at the beginning of 2027, and a ban on pipeline gas imports in the autumn of 2027.
The regulation is a central element of the EU’s long-term REPowerEU action plan, which aims to permanently end imports of Russian energy, strengthen Europe’s energy security, and diversify the energy market in light of Russia’s unreliability as a supplier. The European Commission also plans to submit a proposal to phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of 2027 at the latest.
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