The European Council has agreed to phase out all remaining natural gas imports from Russia by the end of 2027 (Council of the EU press release, 20/10/2025).
- Under the proposal, new contracts for Russian gas will be banned starting 1 January 2026.
- Existing contracts will be subject to a transition period: imports under short-term contracts will be permitted until 17 June 2026, while those under long-term contracts may continue until 1 January 2028.
- Amendments to existing contracts will be allowed only for narrowly defined operational purposes and must not result in increased volumes — except for certain flexibilities granted to landlocked member states affected by recent changes in supply routes.
The Council presidency will begin negotiations with the European Parliament to finalise the regulation once the Parliament adopts its position.
A qualified majority of 15 countries backed trade restrictions of this nature, with only Hungary and Slovakia opposing due to their continued reliance on Russian pipeline gas. Meanwhile, the European Commission is pushing for a full phase-out of Russian LNG by January 2027, but this would require unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states.