Since 2022, the EU has significantly reduced its energy imports from Russia, but further actions are needed to eliminate dependence entirely.
Three and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, EU nations continue to transfer billions to Moscow for oil and gas.
Last year, the EU spent 21.9 billion Euros on Russian fossil fuels, surpassing the 18.7 billion Euros sent to Ukraine in financial assistance, as reported by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
In early 2021, nearly 30 percent of the EU’s oil originated from Russia. By mid-2025, that figure had dropped to just 2 percent due to an EU ban on Russian oil.
However, some countries remain exceptions. Hungary, Slovakia, and, until recently, the Czech Republic were permitted to continue imports.
This year, the Czech Republic severed ties, but Hungary and Slovakia argue that the switch is too costly, despite Croatia’s offer to supply oil through the Adria pipeline, which could lower costs with increased volumes.
The EU has proposed banning all imports of Russian gas and oil by 2028, stipulating that no new contracts will be allowed after 2026, with short-term contracts expiring that June and long-term contracts prohibited from 2028. Hungary and Slovakia would also be subjected to this ban under the proposal.
These initiatives still require ratification from the European Parliament and support from at least 15 of the 27 EU member states that account for 65 percent of the bloc’s population.
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