EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.Image: keystone
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The EU has been buying gas from Russia for too long, thereby supporting Vladimir Putin’s regime. With the current import ban, it is solving a huge credibility problem.
December 6, 2025, 12:16 p.mDecember 6, 2025, 12:16 p.m
Ulrich Ladurner / Zeit Online
The European Union has unequivocally sided with Ukraine since day one of the Russian invasion. And at the same time, huge amounts of money flowed to Russia during these almost four years of war; to date, it has amounted to 1.5 billion euros every month.
So the Europeans have filled Putin’s war chest while at the same time supporting the attacked Ukraine with billions. This is, to say the least, a painful contradiction.
Now the EU has dissolved it. From 2027 at the latest, gas from Russia will no longer be allowed to be imported into Europe. The EU has now regulated this by law. Finally, one has to say, because it took far too long.
Goal: Not to harm your own economy
Anyone who simultaneously transfers money to an aggressor whom they are fighting for good reason has a credibility problem; he’s not really taken seriously. US President Donald Trump has criticized European gas and oil imports from Russia in the past. Why, he essentially asked, should I deal harshly with Russia when you Europeans shop there?
Now it is fair to say that Europe’s dependence on Russian gas supplies was very high, and this is particularly true for Germany. Bringing gas imports to zero immediately after Russia’s attack would have been all too painful and difficult to negotiate in the individual member states.
The EU imposed the first package of sanctions very quickly after the war began – today we have reached the 19th – but the guiding principle was: Whatever we do, it must hurt Russia more than us. This not only served to protect their own economy, but was also an attempt to gain time.
False hopes
When the war began, no one could have predicted how long it would last. What was certain, however, was that you couldn’t change your own gas imports overnight. Diversifying takes time. In addition, many may have secretly hoped that business relations with Russia would be possible again in the foreseeable future.
This idea turned out to be an illusion. Putin continues the war mercilessly to this day and does not back down from his goal: he wants to subjugate Ukraine.
Keep buying gas from this man?! Nobody can understand that anymore.
And it has also become clear that Putin will only seriously negotiate if the price of his war continues to rise.
That’s why the EU has now come around and is banning all gas imports from Russia from 2027 at the latest, be it LNG gas or gas delivered via pipelines. This is easier for her today because she has now found other gas suppliers. Today it sources significant amounts of LNG gas from the USA, which should please Donald Trump. The EU has also diversified in terms of oil imports in recent years. Before the war, it sourced 27 percent of its crude oil needs from Russia; today it is only two percent.
Even the resistance of the Hungarian and Slovakian governments could not stop the law that has now been passed. Both governments are Russia-friendly, and both countries are still heavily dependent on gas and oil imports from Russia.
No more gas from Russia – that is a step towards the much-vaunted European sovereignty. With this decision, Europe is making itself less vulnerable to blackmail. In a world like this, being dependent on a foreign power, whether it’s Russia, China or the USA – that’s simply not a good idea.
This article was first published on Zeit Online. Watson may have changed headings and subheadings. Click here for the original.