EU lets Russian LNG slip in new sanctions package

The EU will not attempt to fully ban Russian liquefied natural gas purchases in its latest sanctions package, two EU diplomats told POLITICO, defying pressure to outlaw imports of the supercooled fuel, reported from Politico.

The European Commission is set to formally present its 16th sanctions package against Russia to EU capitals on Wednesday, according to the two diplomats, who were granted anonymity to speak freely.

The proposal will not include a blanket prohibition of LNG imports, as EU hawks have been urging. Instead, it would only stop Russian LNG from going to EU terminals not connected to the EU’s gas system — a restriction that won’t affect the majority of LNG imports.

Separate from LNG, the sanctions package will propose penalties on more aging oil-exporting tankers operating as part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, the diplomats added. The EU will target 74 new vessels, two other EU diplomats said.

Additionally, the new offering will push to restrict Moscow's aluminum exports, according to the three diplomats. The EU still relies on Russia for around 6 percent of its aluminum imports.

Finally, the package will target video game equipment, like Microsoft's Xbox, that the EU says Russia is using to pilot drones.

Still, the LNG omission will disappoint the bloc’s Russia hawks. Last month, 10 EU countries — including Finland, Poland and the Baltics — called on the European Commission to "ban the import of Russian gas and LNG at the earliest date possible.”

"It’s a pity," Lithuanian Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas told POLITICO. "To a certain extent, we are disappointed."

But Vaičiūnas insisted the country was holding out hope for an upcoming EU "roadmap" to end all Russian energy ties.

"We are not losing our belief that [an LNG ban] will be coordinated in the near term future,” Vaičiūnas said.
The fresh sanctions package arrives just as new data shows the EU slurped up record volumes of LNG from Russia last month. Last year, Moscow’s LNG exports to the EU rose by almost 20 percent from 2023, according to a report out Tuesday.
The EU has so far banned most imports of Russian coal and oil — but has repeatedly failed to restrict purchases of Moscow’s gas, amid long-standing opposition from countries such as Hungary.
The vast majority of Russia’s LNG arrives at ports in Spain, Belgium and France from the Yamal plant, a vast facility in frosty northern Siberia.
But other countries in the bloc rely on indirect purchases of the supercooled fuel. Russian LNG accounted for up to 9 percent of Germany’s gas imports in 2023, according to the same report.


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