The agreement among EU member states to end all natural gas imports from Russia by the autumn of 2027.
Regarding this, von der Leyen said:
"This is the dawn of a new era, the era in which Europe completely摆脱s its dependence on Russian energy,"
She also said: "We have significantly reduced our fossil fuel imports from Russia, cutting off the financial lifeline for Russia's war in Ukraine. At the beginning of the war, we paid 12 billion euros per month, and now it has been reduced to 1.5 billion euros. Our goal is to reduce it to zero."
According to the latest agreement, the EU will comprehensively ban the import of natural gas from Russia in stages and by type, with the main milestones as follows:
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): A complete ban starting at the end of 2026.
Pipeline natural gas: A complete ban starting in the autumn of 2027 (no later than November 1, 2027).
This is a fundamental shift for the EU: Before the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, as much as 45% of the EU's natural gas came from Russia. This agreement marks the permanent severing of the decades-long energy link between the two sides in legal form, a historic turning point.
The direct purpose of the agreement is to "end dependence on Russian energy" in response to Russia's "weaponization of natural gas supply."
From a political perspective, cutting off Russia's war funding (energy revenue) is a core action of the EU in supporting Ukraine. Von der Leyen called this "standing with Ukraine."
It is worth noting that the exemption for oil imports from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia will be ended by the end of 2027. Although there are different opinions within the EU, there are still challenges in implementing the agreement. However, the EU has already passed the legislative process, putting a irreversible confirmation key on this long-term strategic transformation.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1850503985721356/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.