EU late with Russian energy withdrawal plan – media
The EU will delay the release of a plan to eliminate its dependence on Russian energy and nuclear technology to an unspecified date, as US President Donald Trump moves to restore ties with Russia, several media outlets have reported.
The EU vowed to stop purchasing fuel from the sanctioned country by 2027, with Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen pledging late last year to present a new plan targeting Russian oil, gas, and nuclear fuel within the first 100 days of his mandate, a deadline which now will be missed.
The road map to reduce reliance on Russian energy remains in progress but will not be unveiled later this month as originally planned, a senior EU official told Politico.
“We are still moving forward with the Roadmap, it is being prepared, but the timing has changed in light of the latest geopolitical developments,” the official said.
The bloc’s self-imposed deadline has now been put off twice. The plan to end reliance on Russian energy was first set to be announced in February. Now it has been delayed from March 26 to an unspecified date, Reuters reported, citing the European Commission’s schedule.
The EU declared its intention to wean itself off Russian energy following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Supplies of more expensive US fuel have replaced much of the cheap pipeline gas that was previously provided by Russia.
However, efforts have stalled and the EU continues to buy billions of euros worth of Russian gas each month. Estimates from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air released last month show that EU member states bought €21.9 billion (over $23 billion) of Russian oil and gas in 2024.
According to Politico, the bloc is currently negotiating an increase in US liquefied natural gas imports. However, a shift in relations between Russia and the US has sparked uncertainty over future economic relations between Moscow and the West, the outlet said.
Since assuming office, Trump has sought to restore ties with Moscow and negotiate a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
The US president announced last month that he is “trying to do some economic development deals” with Russia, highlighting its “massive rare earth” deposits.
Moscow said in response that it is open to economic cooperation with Washington, including in energy and mining.
