EU considers resuming gas imports from Russia

European Union (EU) officials are discussing the possibility of resuming gas imports from the Russian Federation as part of a potential peace deal in Ukraine, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

Gas supplies from the Russian Federation to Europe have always been a sensitive issue for the European Union, especially after Brussels stepped up efforts to cut its dependence on cheap energy from the Russian Federation after the conflict in Ukraine escalated in February 2022.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Financial Times said that proponents, including officials from Germany and Hungary, argued that resuming gas imports from the Russian Federation could reduce energy prices in Europe and encourage Moscow to join peace talks. They believed such a move would provide an incentive for the conflicting parties to maintain the ceasefire.

A European Union official told the Financial Times that some of the bloc's major member states are under pressure from energy prices and, of course, resuming gas imports from the Russian Federation is one way to reduce costs.

However, the proposal has angered Brussels officials and diplomats from Eastern European countries that are strongly opposed to Russia, fearing that resuming gas imports would increase Moscow's export revenues and reverse efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy.

As for the Russian Federation, they doubt the feasibility of the plan to restore gas imports from the European Union.

On January 30, Igor Ananskikh, First Deputy Chairman of the Energy Committee of the Russian State Duma (Lower House of Parliament), told the Lenta.ru news site that the European Union is unlikely to resume gas purchases from Moscow in the near future.

Meanwhile, the Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that it is ready to continue supplying gas to Europe and criticized the European Union's sanctions, asserting that it is the European Union that suffers more than Moscow.

Sanctions related to Ukraine and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline in 2022 have caused a sharp decrease in gas imports from the Russian Federation to the European Union.

On January 1, 2025, Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas through its territory after the agreement with Moscow expired. Previously, Russia supplied about 40% of the total gas to the European Union.

To meet demand and in the face of a supply shortage from the Russian Federation, the European Union has increased imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and Norway, but this has pushed up energy prices.

US President Donald Trump has pressured Brussels to buy more US LNG, even threatening to impose tariffs if the European Union does not comply.

High energy prices have hit European Union economies hard, especially Germany – Europe's largest economy, which contracted for a second consecutive year in 2024.

Slovakia, one of the countries hit hard by the halt in gas transit through Ukraine, has criticized Kiev for undermining its energy security. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has even threatened to veto any EU aid to Ukraine if Russian gas is not re-transited.

“Ultimately, everyone wants energy prices to come down,” a senior European Union official told the Financial Times.