Interview

Russian gas ban: Danish energy minister pursues autumn Council deal

Denmark takes over the EU Council presidency on 1 July and is determined to work at full speed to also strike a deal with MEPs on the proposal to phase out Russian gas imports. In an interview with Contexte, Energy and Climate Minister Lars Aagaard says he is 'cautious’ about simplifying energy law through an omnibus package, and worries about allowing too much flexibility on a 2040 EU climate target. Nuclear power is ‘part of the solution’, he says — but he’s sceptical of partisan arguments focused on individual technologies.
19 June 2025 at 8h00
Energy
Lars Aagaard (left) meets EU Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. European Union, 2025
by Anna Hubert, in Luxembourg

The text of this interview, conducted on 16 June, has been edited for grammar and concision.

Contexte: What outcome do you hope to achieve during your EU Council presidency on the Commission’s 17 June proposal to ban Russian gas imports?

Lars Aagaard: This is a very high priority for our presidency. The Polish presidency [1 January to 30 June 2025] has already started preparing the ground, with working groups planned, and we will follow up and take over to make…

Further reading

How the EU ban on Russian gas imports will work How the EU ban on Russian gas imports will work
Anton Zubchevskyi/iStock
In depth

How the EU ban on Russian gas imports will work

The European Commission made a legal proposal on 17 June to ban imports of Russian gas. It contains clear details on timelines and transparency and starts the clock ticking on what Brussels hopes will be an end to Europe’s energy ties with Moscow. Contexte looks at the gory details.
Russian fuels
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Natural gas
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Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
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Fossil fuels
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Energy security
EU to phase out Russian gas contracts in three stages, sources say EU to phase out Russian gas contracts in three stages, sources say
European Union

EU to phase out Russian gas contracts in three stages, sources say

Signing new Russian gas contracts and providing long-term services to Russian entities from EU LNG terminals will be prohibited from 1 January 2026 under proposed trade measures, Contexte has learned from several sources familiar with the matter. Short‑term contracts may remain in force until mid‑2026, and long‑term agreements until 1 January 2028. Hungary and Slovakia have signalled they will strongly oppose the regulation.
Natural gas
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Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
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Russian fuels
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Fossil fuels
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Energy security
‘If need be, we will go it alone’: EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan on the Russian oil price cap, post-Trump ‘If need be, we will go it alone’: EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan on the Russian oil price cap, post-Trump
Christophe Licoppe/European Union, 2024.
Interview

‘If need be, we will go it alone’: EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan on the Russian oil price cap, post-Trump

As the EU prepares its eighteenth package of restrictive measures on Russia, David O’Sullivan — the former European Commission Secretary-General and EU ambassador to the US who was appointed EU Sanctions Envoy in January 2023 — discusses the bid to make oil exports ‘more expensive, more complicated, less profitable,’ the security issues posed by oil tankers in the Russian shadow fleet, and the ‘conflicting noises’ that now come from the US.
Russian fuels
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EU-US relations
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Baltic Sea infrastructure
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Russia sanctions
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Energy prices

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