EU member states approve complete ban on Russian gas import

BRUSSELS - European Union (EU) member states 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.

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

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, which 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 September 30, 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 facilities with non-Russian supply ahead of the winter heating season.

Before Moscow's reinvasion of Ukraine, Russia supplied more than 40 percent of the gas consumed by the EU. According to the latest EU data available, this share dropped to around 13 percent in 2025.