European Commission says gas imports from Russia will not resume after war

The European Commission insists that even after Russia's war against Ukraine ends, the EU has no plans to resume imports of Russian gas, as the phase-out is enshrined in existing legislation.

Source: Paola Pinho, European Commission coordinating spokesperson, at a briefing on Wednesday, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The European Commission emphasised that the gradual ban on Russian gas imports is mandated by specific EU legislation and is not contingent on the potential conclusion of a peace agreement.

Quote from Pinho: "We know far too well the hidden costs of being dependent on Russia for the purchase of fossil fuels. They have been weaponised and we have been paying the price... With or without war, we have learned the price and we have been paying the price of being dependent on the imports of fossil fuels from Russia."

Details: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the European Commission spokesperson for energy, pointed out that the rejection of Russian gas is stipulated by the REPowerEU regulation, which operates independently of sanctions.

Quote from Itkonen: "Just to remind that we have repowered legislation in force, so that is not tied to sanctions or any geopolitical events either. The legislation is already in force, it's been implemented. So regardless of what happens, we are phasing out Russian gas and LNG from the European market and the last shipments should be finished by the end of next year."

Details: At the same time, when asked about the possible resumption of the Nord Stream gas pipelines after the war, Itkonen noted that this issue is not within the European Commission's purview.

Quote from Itkonen: "And as Paola said, our position on Nord Stream has been very clear since the beginning of this whole project. It's not for us to decide whether it will be functioning in the European Union or not."

Background:

• The EU's REPowerEU regulation, adopted in January 2026, envisages a complete ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from early 2027, and pipeline gas by the autumn of 2027.
• European Pravda reported earlier that Russian and US officials, including Jared Kushner, US Presidential Envoy, had held talks on bringing in a US investor to restore the operation of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
• Meanwhile, the president of the European Commission stated that despite the energy crisis, the EU intends to reduce Russian gas imports to zero by the end of 2027.
• It was also reported that Europe had spent a record €7.3 billion on Russian Arctic gas in the first eight months of 2026, exceeding the total volume for 2025.

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