EU reaches deal on Russian gas ban starving Putin of his blood money – London Business News | London Wallet

Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand welcomes the political agreement reached in the final open-ended trilogue on the REPowerEU Regulation, which aims to phase out Russian gas imports, marking a long-awaited breakthrough in Europe’s efforts to cut off the fossil-fuel revenues that fund Russia’s war machine.

The agreement comes at a decisive moment. Russia’s full-scale invasion is moving into its fourth year, and Europe has struggled to close the remaining channels through which Russian pipeline gas, LNG, and oil products are rerouted through intermediaries that continue to enter the EU market.

Dr. Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Director of Razom We Stand, said the “agreement is a long-overdue step toward dismantling one of the Kremlin’s most powerful economic weapons. Every cubic meter of Russian gas kept flowing into Europe has helped finance the missiles that strike Ukrainian cities. This Regulation, if implemented without loopholes, brings Europe closer to honouring its promise to end this deadly dependency.”

“Europe cannot repeat the mistakes that led to the 2022 energy crisis,” Romanko added, “This Regulation must be watertight. No exceptions. No backdoors. No return to dependency — ever.”

Last night’s deal follows intense pressure from civil society, with more than 30 organisations, including Razom We Stand, urging negotiators to adopt the European Parliament’s stronger position, close loopholes, and resist attempts by certain Member States to weaken the text.

In particular, Razom We Stand called for:

• Limiting the list of “trusted countries” as proposed by the European Parliament to those countries that have an explicit legal ban on Russian gas, such as the UK and Norway. The submitted recommendations gather detailed examples on how Qatari, Nigerian and Algerian exemptions could create threats for the EU in terms of Russian gas white-washing or energy security.
• Preserve the European Parliament’s strong penalties, including the 5% minimum threshold for the administrative fines, to prevent fraud and guarantee the effective enforcement of the Regulation.
• Delete the “security of supply” suspension clause since it undermines the purpose of the Regulation by permitting a temporary return to Russian gas and reopening the door to political blackmail.
• Maintain and strengthen national diversification plans for oil and gas and ensure they are public. It is crucial to keep these plans to ensure transparency, accountability and coordinated phase-out efforts across the EU. The national diversification plans, in particular those for oil, should include concrete milestones and legally binding timelines.

The adoption coincides with the release of Razom We Stand’s major new report, “Uncovering Drivers of Political Resistance to the Phase-Out of Russian Fossil Fuels in Europe”, which documents Russia’s extensive political and corporate influence networks across the EU.

The research reveals how far-right political parties, including Austria’s FPÖ, France’s Rassemblement National, and Germany’s AfD, have long benefited from Russian energy-sector ties, while lobbyists and think tanks have helped embed pro-gas narratives into EU policymaking. These networks have actively worked to slow the phase-out, weaken sanctions, and preserve Russia’s role as a major gas supplier to Europe.