EU Agrees To Phase Out Russian Gas and Oil By 2028

Key Facts

Published: October 20, 2025 Location: Brussels, Budapest Source: EU Statements, Media Reports

• EU energy ministers agreed to phase out all Russian oil and gas imports by January 2028 as part of the bloc’s REPowerEU strategy.
• The plan includes a ban on new Russian gas contracts starting January 2026, ending short-term deals by June 2026, and halting long-term agreements by January 2028.
• The proposal still requires approval from the European Parliament, which is preparing its own version before final negotiations.
• The goal is to cut Kremlin revenues used to finance Russia’s war in Ukraine.

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – European Union energy ministers have agreed to phase out Russian oil and gas imports by January 2028, despite opposition from heavily dependent nations such as Slovakia and Hungary.

The Council of the European Union said Monday that under the plan approved at a meeting in Luxembourg, new Russian gas import contracts will be banned from January 2026, short-term contracts will end in June 2026, and long-term agreements will cease by January 2028.

The proposal, part of the EU’s REPowerEU strategy, still needs approval from the European Parliament, which is debating its own version before final negotiations. The EU says the move aims to deprive the Kremlin of revenue used to fund its war in Ukraine.

Russia currently supplies about 12 percent of the EU’s gas—down from 45 percent before its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Hungary, which relies on Russia for roughly 80 percent of its energy needs, has been among the most vocal opponents of sanctions on Russian oil and gas.

SIMILAR CONCERNS

Neighboring Slovakia has expressed similar concerns, while several Western states, including France and Belgium, still receive Russian gas.

However, the European Commission, the EU’s executive, designed the proposal to pass with a qualified majority, meaning that opposition from one or two member states could not block it. The final text includes flexibilities for landlocked countries such as Hungary and Slovakia.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico defended his resistance to the measures, saying sanctions and energy bans hurt smaller economies. Slovakia previously delayed the last sanctions package over its energy concerns.

Separately, the EU is finalizing a new sanctions package that would ban imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) a year earlier, from January 2027.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday she expects the new sanctions package to be adopted “as early as this week.”

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