Russian gas ban: What MEPs and member states agree on, and what they don’t

A June Commission proposal to outlaw EU imports of Russian gas is designed to stop funding Moscow’s war machine and cut dependence on an unreliable supplier. It’s received broad support from MEPs and member states. But there’s still plenty of disputes about the proposed ban — when it should start, what it should cover, and how big the fines should be. With technical meetings starting on 27 October, Contexte outlines key points of difference that negotiators will need to iron out in trilogue talks.
27 October 2025 at 8h00 · updated on 21 October 2025 at 11h29
Energy
EU Parliament and Council negotiators will be working against the clock to come to an agreement on the Russian gas ban before January 2026.
EU Parliament and Council negotiators will be working against the clock to come to an agreement on the Russian gas ban before January 2026.. Source: Erhui1979/iStock
by Ciaran Sunderland

A June Commission plan to ban Russian gas imports has received broad support — but MEPs and member states still have plenty of issues to iron out before it can take effect.

From exactly when the restrictions should start to the products they should cover and what carve-outs should be made, representatives of the Council, Parliament and Commission will need to agree on a common position in a series of trilogue meetings.

The pressure is on to do that if…

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Watch the replay of our Contexte Live discussion on the EU’s plan to phase out gas, oil and nuclear imports from Moscow.
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Just over three years after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission, on 17 June, proposed ambitious plans to phase out Russian gas. The European Parliament and Council are rushing to come to an agreement, ahead of a key January 2026 deadline. But the plans don’t affect all member states equally. Some are vocally in favour, while others are entrenched in their opposition. Gas flows, the ability and willingness to find other suppliers, legal risks and politics all play a major role. As talks advance, Contexte looks at the positions of twelve key EU countries, from Hungary to France.
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Hungary, a major importer of Russian fuels, has been a thorn in the side of Brussels’ plan to phase out gas imports. Attila Steiner, State Secretary in the Budapest energy ministry, told Contexte it was too early for his country to commit to a phase-out date for Russian gas — and described Ukraine’s strike on the Druzhba oil pipeline as an intolerable attack on ‘critical infrastructure’ A pledge to buy more US gas, made as part of the EU’s recent deal with President Donald Trump, isn’t a workable alternative, he said.
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