EU countries have decided to end purchases of Russian gas by Hungary and Slovakia and to stop the flow of liquefied natural gas. The EU Council approved a plan to abandon imports from Russia on Monday, bypassing a veto by the main buyers of its raw materials.
The agreement establishes a mandatory phase-out ban on imports of both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas from Russia; the full ban will come into effect on January 1, 2028, the document adopted by the EU Council said.
The ban will come into effect on January 1, 2026, while maintaining a transitional period for existing contracts: short-term contracts concluded before June 17, 2025, can be valid until June 17, 2026, and long-term contracts - until January 1, 2028.
