Will the European Union abandon Russian gas under US pressure: an expert explains
Kyiv • UNN
The European Union is considering the possibility of a faster cessation of Russian oil and gas imports. This is due to pressure from the United States, which demands a sharp increase in purchases of American LNG and the equalization of the trade balance.
The European Union is considering ending imports of Russian oil and gas sooner as part of new sanctions against Moscow, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. The statement came after US calls to completely stop buying Russian oil.
The EU has been under pressure from the United States, which demands a sharp increase in purchases of American LNG, which will lead to the abandonment of the Russian product. This was told to a UNN journalist by economist Oleg Pendzin, executive director of the Economic Discussion Club.
In her address to the European Parliament, von der Leyen stated that the EU "is considering an accelerated rejection of Russian blue fuel as part of the 19th package of sanctions, which is currently being prepared. The Kremlin, on Monday, stated that no sanctions would ever force Russia to change its "course" in the war in Ukraine.
How much Russian gas does the EU import?
According to Eurostat, in the first half of 2025, liquefied natural gas (LNG) worth about 4.48 billion euros was imported from Russia, which is 29% more than in the same period last year. The reason for this increase is the desire of EU countries to accumulate cheap product before the introduction of new sanctions.
According to Oleg Pendzin, the EU is on its way to abandoning Russian liquefied gas for several reasons, one of which is the financing of the war, but it is not the main one.
The fact is that Europe and the United States of America signed a trade agreement, where Europe undertook to make certain changes in legislation on technical regulation and antitrust policy. In parallel with this, Europe committed itself to sharply increase the total volume of purchases from the United States of America of commodity items in order to equalize the trade balance, which at the moment is largely in favor of Europe, the economist explains.
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US pressure
The United States of America called on the European Union to stop importing Russian energy carriers, linking this issue with the possibility of introducing new sanctions against Russia. The EU should increase energy imports from the US as part of a trade agreement, under which the European side committed to purchase $750 billion worth of American energy carriers by the end of 2028.
Thus, by launching American liquefied gas, Europe needs to "squeeze out Russian" gas. But the problem arises that it is cheaper.
"Everyone realizes that, probably, in the 19th package of sanctions, there will be mentions of liquefied gas, because America is strongly insisting on this. But because Russian gas is cheaper, European countries want to buy as much as possible at cheap prices, so that when the 19th package of sanctions with Russian liquefied gas is adopted, they will have a certain financial benefit," says Pendzin.
At the same time, he emphasizes that in any case, the US will put pressure on Europe so that Europe actively increases the total volume of purchases of their commodity items, and thus, in the 19th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, the appearance of a ban on Russian LNG is inevitable.
"This is the most likely option, that it will be gas, so some internal mechanisms will be put in place in the European Union to maximize the transition from Russian liquefied gas to European, to American," he added.
Pendzin explained this by "quite difficult relations with the Americans" in Europe. Not without reason for the introduced duties.
"The US now, you know, despite the fact that they formally agreed on a 15% duty, they are still keeping 27.5% on European automotive exports, until there are changes in legislation, and secondly, the equalization of the trade balance," the economist explained.
Therefore, the expert notes that Europe is "interested in fulfilling the tasks they promised to fulfill as soon as possible within the framework of the trade agreement between the United States of America and Europe."
Hungary and Slovakia also came under pressure
Regarding Hungary and Slovakia, Pendzin explained that "there is a bigger problem - Russian oil, rather than Russian gas." However, Hungary has a contract with Russia for gas supplies until 2036 at a reduced price, and they continue to receive it by replacing it with European gas from the Balkans via the "Turkish Stream." According to the expert, pressure from Europe and the US can change this picture, but it is currently difficult to predict further developments.
"They undoubtedly cling to this cheap product, hiding behind the fact that this is the only way to save the economic situation of ordinary Hungarians and Slovaks. How events will unfold, I cannot say now, but there is quite serious pressure on them. From both the European Union and the United States of America," Pendzin concluded.