Close Menu
The Watch
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Watch
    Subscribe
    • Home
    • Top Stories
      • USNORTHCOM
      • Homeland Defense
      • Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
      • Russia
    • USNORTHCOM AOR
      • Arctic
      • North America
      • Mexico
      • The Caribbean
    • eTalk/Panel
      • Arctic eTalks
      • Arctic Academic eTalks
      • RUSI NS Panels
      • Perry Center eTalks/Panels
      • Ted Stevens Center eTalks/Panels
    • ASFR
    • Journal
      • Enduring Partnerships – V6
        • Mutually Beneficial Trusted Partnerships
        • Regional Cooperation
        • U.S. Shares Military Capabilities
      • Special Reports
      • Archive
    • About Us
      • Contributors
    • Contact Us
    The Watch
    Subscribe
    Home » New EU sanctions package targets Russian liquefied natural gas
    Russia

    New EU sanctions package targets Russian liquefied natural gas

    The WatchBy The WatchOctober 16, 2025No Comments3 Mins Read
    The tanker Sun Arrows loads its cargo of liquefied natural gas from the Sakhalin-2 project in the port of Prigorodnoye, Russia, in 2021. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    The European Union (EU) plans to ban the import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) a year earlier than planned, EU officials said in announcing another package of sanctions against Moscow for its war against Ukraine. “It is time to turn off the tap,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

    “Russia’s war economy is sustained by revenues from fossil fuels. We want to cut these revenues,” von der Leyen said September 19, 2025, as she announced the proposal, which requires unanimous approval from EU governments. “So we are banning imports of Russian LNG into European markets.”

    European Commission Vice President and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X that the EU’s 19th package of sanctions aimed “to speed up the phase-out of Russian liquefied natural gas (to be complete) by 1 Jan 2027.” The previous EU target date to halt Russian LNG imports was January 1, 2028, but the United States has been pressuring the European nations to move faster.

    Gas pipelines are pictured at the Atamanskaya compressor station, part of Gazprom’s Power of Siberia project outside the far eastern town of Svobodny, in Amur region, Russia. REUTERS

    EU imports of Russian LNG have dropped from 22% in the first quarter of 2021 to 14% in the second quarter of 2025, according to Eurostat, the European Commission’s statistical office. Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain import Russian LNG. Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia import Russian gas that is piped via TurkStream, a pipeline running from Russia to Turkey.

    In addition to banning Russian LNG in 2027, the sanctions plan would target more of Russia’s shadow tanker fleet and state oil companies. An additional 118 Russian vessels would be sanctioned; more than 560 vessels are now listed under EU sanctions, von der Leyen said. Russian oil companies Rosneft and Gazprom Neft face a full transaction ban under the proposal. The EU already lowered its price cap on Russian crude oil to $47.60 a barrel on September 3, down from a $60 cap instituted in December 2022. Trade restrictions also would be placed on refineries, oil traders and petrochemical companies in third countries, or those who benefit from Russian oil and gas exports, including China.

    The sanctions proposal also aims to seal off financial loopholes that Russia uses to circumvent sanctions. More banks in Russia and in central Asia would face transaction bans.

    “Unfortunately, over the past month, Russia has shown the full extent of its contempt for diplomacy and international law,” von der Leyen said, citing massive drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian homes and government buildings. “In the last two weeks, Russian Shahed drones have violated our union’s airspace in both Poland and Romania. These are not the actions of someone who wants peace.”

    Von der Leyen said the EU and its 27 member states were ready for what lies ahead. “We are prepared for this,” she said. “We have been saving energy, diversifying supplies and investing in low-carbon sources of energy like never before. Today, these efforts pay off. … This is Russia’s war, and the perpetrator must pay for it.”

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Related Posts

    Denmark links drone incidents to Moscow, NATO sends military support

    October 15, 2025

    Norway acts against Russian ‘shadow fleet’

    October 9, 2025

    Denmark says long-range precision weapons necessary to defend against Russia

    October 8, 2025
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    V6. ENDURING PARTNERSHIPS
    V6. INSERT

    Subscribe and download the latest issue

    The Watch is provided FREE to military and security professionals.

    The Watch
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    © 2025 The Watch.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Subscribe and download the latest issue

    The Watch is provided FREE to military and security professionals.