EU rules out future energy imports from Russia

LONDON

The EU will “not import one molecule” of energy from Russia in the future, Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen has said, following comments by Belgium’s premier suggesting relations with Moscow should be normalized to regain access to cheap energy.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels on Monday, Jorgensen ruled out any relaxation of the bloc’s stance on Russian energy imports, Belga news agency reported on Monday.

“It would be a mistake for us to repeat what we did in the past,” he said. “In the future, we will not import as much as one molecule from Russia.”

His remarks came after Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said that Europe should negotiate with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and restore access to cheaper energy supplies.

He said the EU had already passed a law last year banning Russian gas imports from the end of 2027 and that the European Commission was also preparing a proposal to prohibit the remaining oil imports from Russia.

“It’s extremely important that we stick to this line -- we cannot in Europe help indirectly finance Russia’s brutal, illegal war,” he said.

“We’ve been far too long dependent on energy from Russia, making it possible for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to blackmail us with energy, making it possible for Putin to weaponize energy against us, and we are determined to stay on course with these issues.”

De Wever’s remarks also drew criticism within Belgium.

Conner Rousseau, leader of the Flemish Socialist Party Vooruit, rejected the suggestion that Belgium should seek renewed energy ties with Moscow.

“The prime minister can say what he likes in his own name, but he cannot speak on behalf of the government to suggest that we suddenly wish to go and beg Putin for cheap energy,” he told VTM Nieuws.

“This has not been agreed within the government. Everyone knows that Putin is not to be trusted, that you cannot make deals with that man.”

Russia and Ukraine had held several rounds of US-mediated peace talks in 2026. The process was interrupted by the US-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 28.