EU bans Russian gas condensate imports from 2027

The European Union has introduced new sanctions that will ban imports of gas condensate from Russian projects, including Yamal LNG, starting January 1, 2027, according to the bloc’s official journal.

The measures, reported by Reuters, target condensate — a light form of oil produced as a byproduct of liquefied natural gas extraction — from multiple Russian LNG projects.

The sanctions were formally approved on Thursday alongside a new EU loan package for Ukraine, ahead of an informal summit of EU leaders in Cyprus. The bloc is intensifying pressure on Russia over the war in Ukraine, while US-mediated peace negotiations have been paused as Washington shifts its focus to the war in Iran.

The EU had already banned imports of Russian oil in December 2022 and later introduced a price cap mechanism. Since then, the bloc has nearly eliminated imports of Russian coal, crude oil, and refined fuels. In contrast, in 2021, Russia accounted for 43% of the EU’s total fuel imports and 25% of its crude oil supplies.

Russia produces gas condensate at two major LNG projects: Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2. The Yamal LNG plant, located in the Arctic, exported 1.12 million tonnes of condensate to Rotterdam in the Netherlands in 2024, marking a 16.3% increase compared to 2023. Supplies rose further last year by 7.4%, reaching 1.2 million tonnes.

Gas condensate is widely used as a feedstock in petrochemical production and for manufacturing motor fuels.

The EU had initially exempted gas condensate from its 2022 sanctions packages, citing the need to safeguard the security of LNG supplies. The new measures mark a shift toward tightening restrictions on all forms of Russian energy exports.

By Tamilla Hasanova