It’s a last-ditch pitch from the EU. Without support for more energy sanctions, and with some officials even discussing an eventual return to fuel from Moscow, Brussels is increasingly shopping for alternative options. There’s also U.S. President Donald Trump, who has publicly toyed with lifting America’s hard-hitting Russia restrictions.
So the EU is turning to the market, attempting to send a long-term signal that Brussels is committed to leaving Russian fuel for good. No turning back.
“Despite the significant reduction of the dependency on Russian fossil fuels in the last years, we were still importing 19 percent of Russian gas in 2024,” EU energy chief Dan Jørgensen said ahead of the plan’s release. “This compromises our energy security, exposing us to economic blackmail and manipulation.”
“The roadmap will help the EU regain energy independence from Russia,” he told POLITICO.
But the market may not bite. There’s already chatter that companies will start pumping more Russian fuel across Europe the moment it’s legally possible and politically palatable.
“The remaining appetite for Russian energy is driven by cost considerations,” said Maria Shagina, a sanctions expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “EU member states are concerned about competitiveness and deindustrialization, so cheap Russian energy against the background of a looming peace deal becomes attractive again.”
