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EU Refuses Russian Gas Comeback Even as Rising Prices Hit Europe Hard
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The European Commission has ruled out easing the EU’s ban on Russian gas despite renewed political pressure tied to rising energy costs, according to POLITICO on March 16.
The pushback arrived after Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever called for normalizing ties with Russia to regain access to cheaper energy.
Europe grappled with another spike in oil and gas prices linked to the conflict involving Iran.
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Brussels rejected that logic and stressed that the bloc’s phaseout of Russian energy is now a binding law rather than a temporary political commitment.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen underscored that the bloc would not reopen the door to Russian supply, arguing that Europe cannot afford to return to a dependency Moscow previously used as leverage.
The EU’s legislation foresees a gradual but permanent end to Russian gas imports, with LNG imports to be phased out by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas by the end of 2027.
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“It would be a strategic blunder,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned in comments cited elsewhere this month, as she argued that returning to Russian fossil fuels would leave Europe exposed again to energy coercion and price shocks.
Her remarks reinforced the Commission’s broader position that short-term market pressure does not justify reversing the bloc’s post-invasion energy policy.
The debate has exposed divisions within the EU as some governments seek ways to shield households and industry from surging costs, while others insist that reintroducing Russian gas would weaken Europe’s security posture and indirectly finance the war launched by Vladimir Putin.
Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot and Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys were among those who rejected calls for a reset with Moscow.
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At the same time, Moscow has resumed messaging that it remains open to restoring energy cooperation with Europe, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin claiming Russia never broke with European buyers and would resume long-term supply if politics were taken out of the equation.
The pitch lands against a markedly different European trajectory: after the 2022 invasion, the EU moved to reduce dependence on Russian energy under REPowerEU , while only a few member states continued to press for cheaper Russian supplies.
Putin’s remarks also followed fresh market turbulence, with Brent crude briefly climbing to $119 a barrel as fears over disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz rippled through global oil trade.
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