FT: Baltic states urge EU to speed up ban on Russian oil imports

The Baltic states have urged Brussels to speed up delayed plans to ban imports of Russian oil, as EU fears of a major energy crisis caused by the war in Iran did not materialise.

Source: Financial Times, citing sources, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Late last year, member states agreed that the European Commission would put forward the issue of a ban for consideration, but talks on the measures reached an impasse after the outbreak of war in late February caused the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and raised fears of an energy supply crisis.

Several sources familiar with the course of the talks said Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania urged the EU at a meeting of energy ministers on 26 June to submit proposals for phasing out imports, arguing that Russian energy exports help finance the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.

The sources said Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen did not comment on the remarks during the closed-door meeting. A spokesperson declined to comment, but said the Commission is committed to putting forward a proposal.

The calls came as traffic through the strait has gradually resumed after the US reached an agreement with Iran to extend the ceasefire, which should stimulate oil markets and strengthen calls for Europe to accelerate its phaseout of Russian energy. Around a fifth of the world's oil and gas usually passes through this strategically important waterway in the Persian Gulf.

Since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has taken steps to free itself from dependence on Russian energy. Commission data shows that oil imports from Russia accounted for 2% of total supplies in 2025, down from 27% at the beginning of 2022, but still amounted to 9.7 million tonnes of crude oil.

The EU agreed to phase out Russian gas from its energy mix by autumn 2027.

However, officials said the war in Iran has put these plans on hold. The proposal for an oil ban was due to be submitted on 15 April, but was removed from the Commission's draft agenda in March.

Moving ahead with the ban could face resistance from countries heavily dependent on Russian oil, such as Hungary and Slovakia, as well as opposition from member states struggling with high energy prices. Individual member states will be unable to block the measure through a veto.

Asked by the FT about the prospect of speeding up the ban, Polish Deputy Energy Minister Wojciech Wrochna said Warsaw considers it necessary to implement it by the end of the year. "But we understand concerns about the price, availability [of supplies], and competitiveness as a consequence. That's the price we need to pay to become independent from Russian resources," he said.

On 26 June, the European Commission said the oil products market has "shown depth and resilience", despite warnings in April that Europe had only a few weeks' supply of jet fuel.

After the meeting of energy ministers, Jørgensen said the situation in the Middle East would make it "more feasible" that Europe would avoid shortages of jet fuel and other products this summer.

However, he added: "We have to acknowledge that if there is an agreement, it will take some months to get back to normal for oil and some years for gas."

Background:

• On 17 June, the US and Iran remotely signed a memorandum on ending the war and opening the Strait of Hormuz. The document provides a framework for negotiating the terms of a final agreement that would formalise the ceasefire within 60 days. The first round of technical talks took place last week in Switzerland.
• However, on 26 June, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire. The US subsequently carried out strikes on targets in Iran.

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