EU countries agreed to ban all imports of Russian gas from 2028 at talks in Luxembourg on Monday, marking the next step in the bloc’s years-long plan to rid itself of reliance on energy imports from Moscow.

"We can no longer accept indirectly helping to finance Putin's war. We can no longer accept that gas is being weaponized against member states of the European Union," EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen told DW after brokering the deal among ministers. 

The EU banned imports of Russian coal and most Russian oil after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but imports of liquefied natural gas have continued. This has drawn criticism from Washington and accusations of double standards from India — a major importer of Russian oil.
 
"It is not as if nothing has happened. We used to import 45% of our gas from Russia, and that's gone down due to very efficient measures to 13%. But 13% is still too much," Jorgensen said. 

"It is clear that we do need to also work with our international partners. I would hope that more countries would follow Europe's example here. If the rest of the world did as we do here, then the war would be over probably pretty soon."

Under the gradual phase-out plan greenlit on Monday, Russian gas deliveries under new contracts will be illegal in the EU from January 2026. 

Short-term contracts concluded before June 2025 will be allowed to continue until June 17, 2026. 

January 1, 2028, is set as the final phase-out date for long-term gas contracts. The proposal still requires backing from the European Parliament. 

Hungary and Slovakia, EU members seen as diplomatically closer to Russia, opposed the ban. Unlike sanctions, which need support from all EU states to move forward, Monday’s ban was drafted under the bloc’s trade powers — meaning Hungary and Slovakia were overruled in a weighted majority vote.

"We would prefer strong support from all countries, but I will say there's two countries that are not supporting. That also then means that there is a very, very broad support for this in Europe," Jorgensen said. 

The agreement comes ahead of an expected meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with the EU keen to show its commitment to Kyiv. 

"I hope very much that this is a message that the ministers sent today that will be heard in the world," Jorgensen said.