The EU’s stated goal is to clean up the bloc’s energy system of all Russian fossil fuels by 2027. EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen will present a plan to achieve that goal in March. But the severe difficulties of the EU’s heavy industries have heightened the need for European countries to have cheaper energy.
European officials are debating whether to resume Russian gas sales to the EU as part of a possible solution to end the war in Ukraine, according to people familiar with the discussions. Advocates of buying Russian gas argue that it would raise energy prices in Europe, encourage Moscow to the negotiating table and give both sides a reason to implement and maintain a ceasefire.
But raising the idea of reopening Russian gas flows to Europe, even in preliminary discussions, has already provoked a backlash among Ukraine’s closest EU allies. Three officials briefed on the talks said the idea had been endorsed by some German and Hungarian officials, with support from other capitals who saw it as a way to lower European energy costs. “There is pressure from some big member states on energy prices and this is a way to lower them, of course,” said one official.
TRUMP’S INFLUENCE
Resumption of exports to Europe would significantly boost Moscow’s revenues. Before the war, pipeline flows from Russia accounted for about 40 percent of total EU supplies, with Germany the largest importer. Donald Trump has called for an end to the war “soon,” prompting discussions among Western capitals about the elements needed for a lasting deal with Moscow.
The US president has also threatened the EU with tariffs if it does not buy more liquefied natural gas from America, which is more expensive than pipeline gas. The continued resumption of pipeline sales from Russia has angered Brussels officials and diplomats from several Eastern European countries, many of whom have spent the past three years working to reduce the amount of Russian energy imported into the bloc. “It’s crazy,” said one official. “How stupid can we be to think of this as an option?”
GAS CRISIS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday: “Ending the hot phase of the war is critical. Diplomatic solutions are preferable – fewer casualties, fewer losses.” His office did not respond to a request for comment on the discussion about resuming Russian gas purchases. The revival of the debate over gas sales has worried some U.S. LNG exporters seeking to sign long-term supply deals with European companies. They fear that any resumption of Ukrainian transit could make their products uncompetitive, according to two officials. One of the European Commission’s top energy officials, Ditte Juul Jørgensen, is at a U.S. meeting with LNG exporters this week for talks that will touch on potential long-term supplies.
EUROPE IN DIFFICULTIES
The EU’s stated goal is to clean up the bloc’s energy system of all Russian fossil fuels by 2027. EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen will present a plan to achieve that goal in March. But the severe difficulties of EU heavy industries have heightened European countries’ need for cheaper energy. Gas costs in Europe are typically three to four times higher than in the United States. Piped gas from Russia accounted for about 10 percent of total supply in 2024, but has halved since a transit contract allowing flows to reach the EU via Ukraine ended in January.
The remaining pipeline bringing Russian gas to the bloc is the TurkStream line through Turkey, which provides Hungary with about 7.5 billion cubic meters of gas. Budapest, along with the pro-Russian government in Slovakia, has been lobbying the EU to pressure Ukraine to resume gas transit. Gary Mazzotti, chief executive of EP Infrastructure, which operates the Slovak section of the pipeline, told the FT that a potential peace deal between Trump and Russia would almost certainly lead to talks on resuming Russian gas supplies.
