EU imports of Russian liquefied natural gas dropped slightly last year after a surge in 2022, as confidence is growing that the bloc can finally rid itself of fossil fuel imports from Russia.
Policymakers in Brussels are working to finalise legislation that would allow member states to fully ban Russian gas imported via pipeline as well as LNG, nearly two years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted the bloc to start weaning itself off hydrocarbons from Russia.
Some traders, analysts and EU officials believe the legislation could enable a gradual reduction to zero, down from nearly half of EU supplies before the war, without big impacts to the European gas market.