Media: Belgium’s minister dismisses talks on resuming Russian energy imports as illusory

Belgium’s Energy Minister, Mathieu Bihet, has strongly dismissed any discussion about resuming energy imports from Russia, calling such talks “illusory” and unrealistic.

His remarks come amid growing discussions in Europe about reopening energy ties with Moscow, Caliber.Az reports, citing Politico.

In an interview, Bihet stated, “It is fanciful to believe that from one day to the next, we will return to business as usual with Russia, saying, ‘We are going to act as if nothing happened.’” He emphasised that this debate does not reflect the current reality and is more of an intellectual exercise. Bihet’s comments align with Belgium’s new government, led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever, which has maintained a firm stance on Russian energy.

Despite the United States’ diplomatic efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Ukraine, Bihet reiterated that Belgium is committed to gradually reducing its Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. “The imports are steadily declining,” he noted, emphasising that “we have to turn off the taps” to stop financing the war. Belgium remains one of the EU’s largest importers of Russian LNG, alongside France and Spain. 

Since January, the country has received 1.1 million metric tons of LNG via its Zeebrugge port. However, Bihet has stated that Belgium will not support an outright ban on Russian LNG unless there is a coordinated approach with neighbouring countries. While EU leaders continue to debate the issue, Bihet is focusing on expanding nuclear energy as a solution to Europe’s energy crisis. 

A long-time supporter of nuclear power, Bihet aims to reverse Belgium’s 2003 ban on new reactors and potentially double the country’s nuclear capacity. He believes nuclear energy will be crucial to reindustrialising Belgium and addressing the country’s energy needs. “Clearly Europe must rally itself” on nuclear energy, Bihet concluded, advocating for more EU support to achieve this vision.

The European Commission is set to unveil a roadmap in May outlining specific measures to completely phase out Russian fuel imports by 2027. Despite a significant reduction in Russian energy imports to the EU since 2022, supplies continue to flow. Russian LNG accounted for 20 per cent of the EU's total LNG imports this year.

Recently, the possibility of resuming larger-scale purchases of Russian energy supplies has once again become a topic of discussion in European countries.

By Naila Huseynova