EU hardens Russia energy sanctions

Valdis Dombrovskis said on May 22 that the European Union would not go back to Russian oil or gas even as conflict in the Middle East pushes energy prices higher. In comments to Euronews, the European commissioner for the economy said Brussels should tighten sanctions on Moscow rather than ease them in search of cheaper fuel. His remarks align with the EU’s legal phaseout of Russian gas imports under REPowerEU, which the European Commission says was adopted in January and published in February. ### Why is Brussels ruling out cheaper Russian energy now? Valdis Dombrovskis said the EU “should not” look to Russian fossil fuels for relief from the latest energy shock. He told Euronews that Russia was benefiting from the Middle East conflict through higher energy prices and said the bloc should harden, not dilute, its sanctions response. (euronews.com) The European Commission has already turned part of that stance into law. On 26 January 2026, EU countries formally adopted Regulation (EU) 261/2026 to phase out Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas, and the measure was published in the Official Journal on 2 February, according to the Commission’s energy department. (euronews.com) ### Is this still a sanctions policy, or a permanent energy break? The Commission describes the gas measure as a “gradual, but permanent” ban on Russian natural gas imports. Under the timetable published by Brussels, LNG imports are to be phased out by 31 December 2026 and pipeline gas by 30 September 2027, with a possible extension to 31 October 2027 if storage targets are at risk. (energy.ec.europa.eu) Ursula von der Leyen framed the policy in similar terms when the Commission presented the proposal, saying Russia had repeatedly tried to “blackmail” Europe by weaponising energy supplies. The Commission said member states must submit national diversification plans and notify Brussels about existing Russian gas contracts under the phaseout framework. (energy.ec.europa.eu) ### What does the war in Ukraine have to do with the energy line? Ukrinform reported on May 22 that a Russian drone strike on Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region killed one person and injured another. The agency’s latest updates on May 23 also reported continued Russian attacks elsewhere and said Ukraine’s military had recorded 950 additional Russian personnel losses over the previous day. (ec.europa.eu) The Atlantic Council wrote on May 21 that President Vladimir Putin was seeking more foreign fighters as Russian battlefield losses mounted and as the Kremlin tried to avoid another politically risky mobilization at home. That assessment came from Marc Goedemans and Katherine Spencer in a UkraineAlert analysis. (ukrinform.net) ### What is the EU trying to prevent by keeping pressure on? Brussels has argued in official REPowerEU documents that cutting Russian fossil fuel imports is about energy security as well as sanctions pressure. The Commission said the aim was to end dependence on a supplier that had used energy as coercion and to require member states to diversify away from Russian oil and gas. (atlanticcouncil.org) Dombrovskis connected that logic to current market conditions. His Euronews comments presented higher prices not as a reason to reopen Russian supply, but as evidence that renewed dependence would again expose Europe to Moscow’s leverage during external shocks. That is an inference from his remarks and the Commission’s phaseout policy. (ec.europa.eu) ### What happens next in the EU phaseout timetable? March 18 marked the first implementation deadline under the updated REPowerEU gas rules, when imports under short- or long-term contracts concluded or amended after June 17, 2025 became prohibited, the Commission said. Brussels also issued updated guidance for national authorities and market participants. (euronews.com) December 31, 2026 is the deadline the Commission lists for phasing out Russian LNG imports, while pipeline gas imports are due to end by September 30, 2027, or by October 31, 2027 if a storage exemption is used. Those dates, rather than short-term price moves, are the next concrete milestones in the EU’s break with Russian gas. (ec.europa.eu) (energy.ec.europa.eu)