10 EU Countries Call for Russian Gas Ban

A document seen by Reuters revealed that 10 countries within the European Union have called on the 27-nation bloc to impose a ban on gas imports from Russia, both through pipelines and liquefied natural gas, as Europe discusses new sanctions against Moscow due to the war in Ukraine.

The European Union is preparing to impose its sixteenth package of sanctions targeting the Russian economy, ahead of the third anniversary of Moscow’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The 10 countries, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, and Finland, are pushing Europe to go further in targeting Russian fuel exports to reduce the revenue flowing to Moscow.

In a joint document seen by Reuters, the countries stated: “It is essential (the final goal) to ban the import of Russian gas and LNG as soon as possible.” The document was also signed by Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Sweden.

The document also referred to the EU’s current goal of ending the use of Russian fossil fuels by 2027, suggesting that the alternative to a complete ban could be to gradually reduce Russian gas use, as outlined in the “REPowerEU” roadmap.

The EU has already imposed sanctions on seaborne oil imports from Russia, but has not yet banned gas imports from Moscow, as some EU countries still depend on it.

The 10 countries also suggested that Russian LNG tankers should be prohibited from docking within the EU.

The European Commission is working on a more detailed plan to help countries reduce their dependency on Russian energy. Sanctions require unanimous approval from all EU member states.