The European Union has reaffirmed its plan to phase out Russian oil imports by 2028, maintaining its position despite not facing direct pressure from Washington to speed up the timeline, Reuters reported, citing Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen.
The commitment forms part of the bloc’s broader strategy to reduce reliance on Russian energy amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Jorgensen confirmed that the United States has not pressed him personally to end Russian oil purchases before the 2028 deadline, though he welcomed potential US support for the move.
“Not only has Putin weaponised energy against us, blackmailed member states, we are actually also indirectly helping finance Putin’s war, and that needs to stop,” he told the news agency.
“And if President Trump agrees to that, then that is only a welcome support, because that is certainly our main objective.”
Some member states remain wary of the plan. Slovakia and Hungary, which together import roughly 200,000–250,000 barrels per day of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline, have opposed the phase-out due to fears of rising energy costs.
However, Jorgensen stressed that the EU has the authority to move ahead without unanimous support if required.
“If, for domestic reasons, there are countries that don’t feel that they can support it, then this is not something that demands unanimity,” he said.
The EU’s reliance on Russian gas is also falling sharply. Purchases are expected to drop to around 13 per cent this year, compared with about 45 per cent before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Meanwhile, US energy policy has come under scrutiny after Washington imposed tariffs on India over its continued procurement of Russian oil, prompting criticism from New Delhi.
EU diplomats expect energy ministers from member states to endorse legal proposals next month that will formalise the gradual elimination of Russian oil and gas imports, with approval possible through a reinforced majority vote.
Jorgensen will also meet US Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Brussels next week to discuss the bloc’s pledge under the US-EU trade deal to buy US$250 billion (€213.07 billion) of American energy annually.
While analysts have questioned whether the commitment is achievable, Jorgensen noted that talks would explore ways to guarantee implementation, including the potential aggregation of European companies’ gas requirements to expand purchases from the US.
