The European Union plans to move away from Russian fossil fuels more quickly as part of the planned 19th package of sanctions against Moscow.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced this in a speech to the European Parliament.
She referred to pressure from the US, in particular from President Donald Trump, who called on the EU to end purchases of Russian oil and impose tough tariffs on China and India.
The EU has already banned imports of Russian oil by ship and introduced a price cap. Negotiations are now underway to completely end oil and gas imports by January 2028.
However, some member states, such as Hungary and Slovakia, reject stricter measures because they fear rising energy prices.
Both countries continue to import around 250,000 barrels of Russian oil per day.
Despite a decline, Russian gas still accounts for a significant share of the European market – around 13 percent, compared to 45 percent before the invasion of Ukraine began.
(reuters, red)