European Union moves to break dependence on Russian energy by 2028

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, European countries have worked to reduce their dependence on Russian energy sources. The European Union has been striving to end its energy reliance on Russia, aiming to diminish the country's financial capacity to continue its military actions. As a result, various EU member states have sought to diversify their energy sources, even though some still depend on Russian gas and LNG deliveries through pipelines like the TurkStream. It was reported that till 2025, certain countries such as Hungary and Slovakia were particularly hesitant to abandon Russian energy due to their existing contracts and infrastructure needs. In the recent past, the share of petroleum oil imports from Russia plummeted from 29% in early 2021 to merely 2% by the second quarter of 2025, demonstrating significant efforts toward energy diversification. However, longstanding contracts and infrastructural dependencies have posed barriers, especially for nations like Hungary and Slovakia, which have been exempted from EU sanctions on Russian oil. These countries have shown reluctance to pivot towards alternatives like the Adriatic pipeline, fearing that current supplies through the Druzhba pipeline could be cut off, leading to energy shortages. Moreover, in terms of liquefied natural gas imports, countries like France, Spain, and Belgium remained more dependent on Russian supplies, comprising 85% of the continent's Russian LNG imports as of 2024. In fact, some nations increased their LNG imports from Russia compared to previous years, demonstrating a diverse approach among different EU states regarding Russian energy dependencies. For instance, while Italy and Slovenia managed to reduce their Russian gas imports significantly, weighted on policy changes, nations with more infrastructure aligned to Russian supplies continue grappling with the transition. As the EU prepares for the planned phase-out of Russian energy by 2028, these adjustments highlight the complex task ahead to ensure security of energy supply, maintain market stability, and achieve political consensus among member states. The transition involves balancing different national interests, contract obligations, and the overarching goal of limiting Russia's ability to fund its military actions. The EU's commitment remains strong, yet the challenges of achieving a complete transition by the set timeline intensify, particularly in countries that remain hesitant to fully discard Russian energy links.