US energy chief: EU could quit Russian gas within 6–12 months

The European Union could eliminate its reliance on Russian gas within six to 12 months by replacing it with U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG), U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Reuters on September 12.

Washington conveyed this position to EU officials during meetings in Brussels this week.

Wright spoke after meeting EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen on September 11 to discuss ending Europe’s imports of Russian energy. Currently, the EU is preparing legal proposals to phase out Russian oil and gas by January 2028, with a ban on short-term contracts beginning next year.

“I think this could easily be done within 12 months, maybe within six months,” Wright said regarding the timeline for phasing out Russian gas. He added that the United States could implement the transition even faster and suggested that an accelerated schedule would increase pressure on Moscow. “I definitely voiced the opinion we could do it faster. On the U.S. side, we could do it faster, and I think it would be good if those dates were moved up even more. I don’t know that that’s going to happen, but that was dialogued,” he said.

A spokesperson for the European Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. is seeking to increase pressure on Europe to cut off Moscow’s energy revenues, which have funded Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. As Russia’s most lucrative export, fossil fuels remain a key source of income for the Kremlin.

Jorgensen, speaking on September 11, described continued EU purchases of Russian energy as unacceptable, but noted that the 2028 phase-out timeline was ambitious and designed to avoid supply shortages or spikes in energy prices across EU countries. Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated this week that the bloc is considering an accelerated phase-out of Russian fossil fuels as part of new sanctions against Moscow, though details on implementation were not provided.

New EU sanctions require unanimous approval from all 27 member states. Hungary and Slovakia have opposed sanctions on Russian gas, which is why the EU proposed the 2028 phase-out under a law that could pass with a reinforced majority rather than full unanimity.

“The faster we phase out, the sooner you put pressure on Russia,” Wright said.

According to EU data, Europe is expected to import roughly 13% of its gas from Russia this year, down from around 45% prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

By Tamilla Hasanova