Overview

• Commission’s 19th sanctions package would advance the LNG cutoff and extend measures to refiners, traders and petrochemical firms in third countries that buy Russian oil.
• The push follows pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has urged Europeans to end purchases of Russian energy and threatened secondary sanctions.
• Council negotiations are set to begin this week, and the unanimity rule means resistant member states could delay or dilute the proposal.
• Industry warns of higher costs and market strain because U.S. LNG is pricier; Germany says it operates without Russian gas and has unloaded no Russian LNG at its own terminals.
• Under REPowerEU, national diversification plans are due by 1 March 2026; Russia still supplied about 19% of EU gas in 2024 via LNG, and Hungary is lining up alternatives with a 10‑year Shell deal starting January 2026.