Brussels has so far imposed a blanket ban on exports of Russian coal and maritime crude oil to the EU, but has failed to find consensus on gas restrictions amid opposition from countries like Hungary, which remain heavily dependent on imports from Moscow.
Yet the EU has reduced its dependence on Russia for gas imports by about two-thirds since the start of the large-scale invasion thanks to a combination of sudden cuts from Moscow and exchanges of suppliers with Norway and the United States.
While Russian LNG accounted for just 5% of EU energy consumption last year, the bloc still paid the Kremlin around 8 billion euros for its exports, which arrived mainly in ports in France, from Spain and Belgium.
Still, the new proposals would not ban purchases of Russian LNG in the bloc, but rather tackle cargoes that arrive at EU ports to then be sent elsewhere.
EU ambassadors are expected to discuss the Commission’s new proposal early next month.
Politices
