EU seeks faster Russian gas phase-out after Trump push

The European Union proposed Friday to bring forward by a year a ban on Russian gas imports as part of new sanctions to sap Moscow's war chest and please US President Donald Trump.

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The 19th package of EU sanctions targeting Moscow since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine also seeks to hit firms as well as banks and traders in China, India and other countries accused of helping Russia circumvent sanctions.

Under the proposal, which needs approval by the bloc’s 27 member states, the European Commission aims to phase out liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases from Russia by January 2027.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the “robust” package as “an important step that will intensify pressure on Russia’s war machine and have a tangible impact”.

“Russia’s war economy is sustained by revenues from fossil fuels. We want to cut these revenues,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

“It is time to turn off the tap”.

The new sanctions package comes as the United States pressures the EU to end fossil fuel imports from Russia -- and as the bloc seeks in turn to coax Trump to take a tougher stance against Moscow. The US leader has so far held back from upping pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, but last week he said he was ready to do so if allies stopped buying Russian oil and hit China with tariffs.