EU agrees deal to end Russian gas purchases by 2027

The European Union has reached a deal to end all Russian gas imports by November 2027.

The “provisional agreement” between the European Council – the grouping of the 27 governments of the bloc’s member states – and the European Parliament was announced on Wednesday.

Although the deadline is later than that sought by the parliament and some member states, the deal progresses efforts to end all energy imports into the bloc from Russia, which continue to provide Moscow with vital financing to power its war on Ukraine.

Under the deal, member states will halt imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the end of 2026. Pipeline gas imports will stop by November 2027.

The effort to halt purchases has struggled over the last four years due to the deep dependence of many member states on Russian energy. The bloc’s overall reliance was close to 50 percent before Moscow unleashed its full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

The move aims “to end dependency on Russian energy following Russia’s weaponisation of gas supplies with significant effects on the European energy market”, said a European Council statement.

Welcoming the announcement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Europe is closing the tap on Russian fossil fuels once and for all. Energy independence starts now.”