Poland has called on European countries to stop importing Russian oil by 2026. The previous EU plan was to stop supplies two years later. The initiative was announced by Polish Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka, Reuters reports, writes UNN.
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I appeal to you to agree on a common goal – a complete rejection of Russian crude oil imports by the end of 2026
According to the politician, such a decision "would strengthen the coherence of actions, establish a clear time horizon, and demonstrate the determination to become independent from supplies that create political and strategic risks."
Europe is already predicting that it intends to abandon Russian oil earlier than planned and is already preparing a concrete action plan. EC head Ursula von der Leyen noted that the discussion on this issue took place after her conversation with US President Donald Trump. Initially, the EU planned to completely abandon Russian energy carriers by 2028.
Despite sanctions, oil products continue to be supplied to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline. These two countries maintain close energy ties with Moscow. Their resistance complicates the adoption of a single decision on a complete ban.
Polish Deputy Minister Wojciech Wrochna emphasized that American liquefied natural gas supplied through Poland could be an alternative to Russian gas.
American gas flowing south through Poland can help eliminate (the deficit – ed.) of Russian gas
At the same time, Orlen has already started supplying American gas to Ukraine to help Kyiv build up reserves for the winter. However, Slovakia remains dependent on Russian supplies and has not yet used gas connections with Poland for alternative routes.