BRUSSELS, April 3. /TASS/. The European Union does not intend to amend EU legislation regarding its course on phasing out imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) despite the energy crisis, the Financial Times (FT) newspaper reported, citing European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen.

In an interview with the publication, Jorgensen "reiterated his position that there would be no change to EU legislation to end Russian liquefied natural gas imports" in 2026, the paper said. In this regard, the European Commissioner recommended that EU member countries approach the United States and other partners operating in "the free market" regarding the issue of securing additional energy supplies.

At the end of January, the European Council finally approved the ban on Russian LNG imports from January 1, 2027, and pipeline gas imports from September 30, 2027. That said, some restrictions will start being introduced earlier. LNG imports under short-term contracts will be banned from April 25, 2026, while short-term pipeline gas supply contracts must be completed by June 17, 2026.

LNG supplies from Russia to the European Union fell by 5.6% in 2025 to 20.3 bln cubic meters (bcm). Overall, with 38 bcm, Russia ranked fourth in gas supplies to the EU in 2025, behind Norway, the United States, and Algeria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow, given the European Union’s intention to completely abandon Russian gas, could initiate an early exit from the European market and redirect supplies to other, more interested buyers.