EU not reconsidering Russian gas embargo due to risk of split — expert – Business & Economy– tass.com

MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. The European Union is not revising its decision on the Russian gas embargo, despite the unfavorable timing for its implementation, Alexey Belogoryev, Research Director at the Institute for Energy and Finance, told TASS. Reversing the restrictions could cause a split within the EU, as Poland, the Baltic states, and Finland would likely oppose such a move, he added.

The expert noted that most European countries have ruled out the return of Russian gas supplies. According to him, despite the current crisis in liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, Europe has not abandoned its plan to introduce an embargo on Russian LNG on January 1, 2027, during the peak of the heating season.

“It is difficult to imagine a more unfavorable moment for introducing an embargo. Nevertheless, we see no changes to this decision, precisely because reversing it is extremely difficult. At the very least, a number of EU countries – Poland, the Baltic states, and Finland – would likely not allow this. This risks a split within the EU, which the European Commission is constantly trying to prevent and overcome,” Belogoryev said.

According to the expert, it is currently difficult to predict what fundamental changes in Europe’s political stance would be required to overturn, revise, or ease the decisions on the Russian gas embargo. “The European decision-making system and bureaucracy are structured such that canceling already adopted decisions, even if they are economically disadvantageous, is much more difficult than moving them forward,” he concluded.