EU countries give final approval to Russian gas ban

BRUSSELS: European Union countries on Monday gave their final approval to the bloc's plan to ban Russian gas imports by late 2027, allowing it to pass into law.

The policy makes legally-binding the EU's vow to cut ties with its former top gas supplier, nearly four years after Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ministers from EU countries approved the law at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, although Slovakia and Hungary voted against.

Hungary said it would take the case to the European Court of Justice.

The ban was designed to be approved by a reinforced majority of countries, allowing it to overcome opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, who remain heavily reliant on Russian energy imports and want to maintain close ties with Moscow.

Under the agreement, the EU will halt Russian liquefied natural gas imports by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas by 30 September 2027.

The law allows that deadline to shift to November 1 2027, at the latest, if a country is struggling to fill its gas storage caverns with non-Russian supply ahead of the winter heating season.

Russia supplied more than 40% of the EU's gas before the Ukraine war. That share dropped to around 13% in 2025, according to the latest available EU data.