The European Commission delayed a long-anticipated proposal on Tuesday that would permanently prohibit Russian oil imports, a move influenced by supply disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
The legal plan, which had been slated for presentation on April 15, has been removed from the calendar. The measure forms part of the REPowerEU roadmap, a broader strategy aimed at ending the European Union’s reliance on Russian energy.
EU Commission energy spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen stated that no new date has been determined for the proposal’s presentation but emphasized that Brussels remains committed to moving forward with the plan.
The EU has already agreed to phase out Russian gas imports permanently, with the last deliveries expected by autumn 2027. A similar timeline had also been set for ending Russian oil imports by the end of 2027.
However, the legislative measures required to formalize the oil ban currently remain unscheduled.
By late 2025, the EU had already cut Russian oil imports down to just 1% of its overall supply, a sharp decline that followed Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has rejected any move to relax the EU’s restrictions on Russian gas, despite renewed political pressure linked to increasing energy prices. This resistance followed calls from some European leaders advocating a return to lower-cost energy sources.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed resuming long-term oil and gas deliveries to Europe as energy prices surge following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Since January, Russia’s pipeline exports to Hungary and Slovakia, previously exempted, have been effectively suspended due to damage to the Druzhba pipeline running through Ukraine.
According to the International Energy Agency, the conflict in the Middle East has caused an unprecedented disruption to global energy markets, pushing Brent crude prices above $100 per barrel.
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