The European Union on Tuesday said it has devised a plan to halt all Russian energy imports by 2027.
Arguing that the 27-member bloc already significantly reduced its reliance on Russian energy, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X that the plan "will mark a permanent break."
"Russia will no longer be able to use energy as a weapon against us," she said.
The EU says it has dropped its share of Russian gas imports from roughly 45% in 2022 to 19% now.
The new "roadmap" will see a “gradual� removal of Russian oil, gas and nuclear energy from the EU markets in a “coordinated and secure manner as the EU transitions to clean energy,� the European Commission said in a statement.
EU countries, it said, will prepare national plans by the end of 2025 setting out how they will contribute to phasing out imports of Russian gas, nuclear energy and oil.
“At the same time, efforts will continue to accelerate the EU’s energy transition and diversify energy supplies to eliminate risks to the security of supply and market stability,� the statement said.
The EU vowed to end its decades-old energy relations with Russia after the latter’s war on Ukraine in 2022.
By Ahmet Gencturk in Athens
Anadolu Agency