The European Union's Process of Ending Natural Gas Imports from Russia

European Union’s plan to end imports of Russian natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been structured through a phased policy framework developed over 2025 via institutional negotiations and a parliamentary vote. The process has taken shape through measures including the prohibition of new contracts, restrictions on spot and short-term purchases, the scheduled cessation of pipeline gas deliveries, and regulatory provisions extending to long-term contracts.

The process has advanced through the European Council the European Parliament (EP) and the European Commission. The Commission’s announcement that it would prepare legal measures to phase out all Russian natural gas and LNG imports by the end of 2027 established the regulatory foundation in the first half of 2025.

The European Council reported that its member states’ energy ministers reached consensus on rules for the phased termination of Russian gas imports and defined the position to be pursued in negotiations with the EP.

The Commission’s published plans state that a legal proposal will be submitted in June to ban Russian natural gas and LNG imports under existing contracts by the end of 2027. The same plans also include a separate proposal to prohibit new agreements and spot contracts involving Russian gas by the end of 2025.

It was noted that new EU legislative proposals require approval by both the EP and a qualified majority of member states and that the requirement for unanimity in imposing sanctions on natural gas has prompted a search for an alternative legal framework.

The Council’s statement outlined a phased termination schedule: new contracts to be banned as of 1 January 2026 existing short-term contracts to be halted as of 17 June 2026 and long-term contracts to be phased out as of 1 January 2028. It was specified that this approach includes the phrase “complete ban on Russian gas from 2028”.

Within the same framework it was stated that modifications to existing contracts would be permitted only in narrowly defined cases and that certain flexibility would be offered to landlocked EU countries potentially facing supply disruptions.

Negotiations between representatives of the European Council and the EP in early December resulted in an agreement and a provisional understanding on the plan to end Russian natural gas imports. It was stated that Russian LNG imports will be phased out and legally prohibited by the end of 2026 while pipeline gas imports will be similarly prohibited by the end of autumn 2027.

It was recorded that the provisional agreement will enter into force only after formal approval by the European Council and the EP.

The EP plenary debated the proposal and adopted the law imposing a phased ban on pipeline gas and LNG imports starting in 2026 with 500 votes in favor and 120 votes against.

The adopted text sets the goal of ending Russian LNG imports by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas imports by 30 September 2027.

It was also stated that Russian LNG imports from the spot market will be banned across the EU in 2026 and that pipeline gas imports will be phased out progressively until 30 September 2027.

The law will enter into force after being adopted by the European Council and published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It was emphasized that the regulation is designed to be adoptable by a qualified majority of member states and that this structure prevents any member state seeking to continue gas imports from Moscow from blocking its implementation.

Two distinct sets of dates have emerged in the process. In the Council’s negotiation position established in October 2025 the threshold for long-term contracts was set at 1 January 2028 understood in conjunction with the goal of a full termination at the beginning of 2028.

In contrast the interinstitutional agreement and parliamentary vote in December 2025 highlighted the end of 2026 for LNG and 30 September 2027 for pipeline gas with an emphasis on “autumn 2027”.

This divergence shows that draft proposals developed throughout 2025 and the final political agreement and voting texts produced different thresholds particularly regarding long-term contracts: October placed the focus on 2028 while December centered on autumn 2027 and 30 September 2027.

Different sources have reported a decline in Russia’s share of EU gas imports compared to the pre-war period. In von der Leyen’s statement the EU’s share of natural gas imports from Russia fell from 45 percent to 13 percent. ^【1】

A subsequent report indicated that as of October Russia’s share of EU gas imports had dropped to 12 percent compared to 45 percent before the war.

It was also noted that in 2021 Russia supplied 45 percent of the EU’s natural gas and that this share had declined to 19 percent by last year.

The Commission did not specify which legal options it would use to ban Russian natural gas at that stage and assessments suggested that the proposed measures could be interpreted as invoking “force majeure” to release companies from contractual obligations. Lawyers noted that applying such measures without exposing buyers to penalties or arbitration would be difficult.

It was stated that European buyers have “take-or-pay” contracts with Gazprom and that refusing deliveries could still obligate them to pay for the majority of the contracted gas.

The common core of the parliamentary decision texts is the adoption of a phased ban starting in 2026 with a target of ending LNG imports by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas imports by 30 September 2027 and the completion of entry into force following Council approval and publication in the Official Journal.