The G7 nations and the European Union are weighing a ban on Russian pipeline gas in regions where Moscow has previously trimmed deliveries. Cited by the Financial Times from anonymous sources, this move signals a broader plan to curb Russia’s energy leverage and its ability to shape European energy security.
Reports indicate that leaders at the Hiroshima summit will push policies aimed at stopping gas exports from Russia’s pipeline system to countries such as Poland and Germany. The Yamal-Europe pipeline currently delivers gas to those two nations, and the plan could also affect Russian oil shipments through the EU and the G7’s northern Druzhba route, which serves Germany and Poland. The FT notes that Western allies are prepared to restrict Russian gas trade via pipelines for the first time in decades.
In a draft declaration seen by the publication, G7 members seek to reduce dependence on Moscow’s energy resources and to prevent any reopening of routes that were closed after Russia used energy as a coercive tool. These measures would remain in place until the Ukraine crisis is resolved and stability is restored in the region.
Still, analysts say the initiative requires clearer details. A European diplomat told the FT that it must be practical to explain how the mechanism would operate, noting that oil from Kazakhstan also travels through the Druzhba oil pipeline, which complicates implementation.
Existing deliveries are not immediately affected
Poland and Germany publicly stated in 2022 that they would voluntarily phase out Russian oil transported via the Druzhba pipeline, even though sanctions did not formally ban pipeline oil purchases. In February 2023, Daniel Obaitek, head of the Polish oil company Orlen, announced that Russia had effectively halted oil exports to Poland.
Against this backdrop, the G7 and EU initiative is unlikely to disrupt current gas supplies in the near term. Yet the FT underscores the bloc’s resolve to break free from long-standing dependence on Russian energy, a goal echoed by many Western policymakers.
The ban carries symbolic weight, especially since the EU held back on targeting pipelines at the start of the war, despite heavy reliance on Russian gas. Since the invasion began, Russia’s share in European gas imports has fallen from about 40 percent to under 10 percent. Sources cited by the publication say the decision to act now aims to prevent future reversals that could slow or reverse efforts to curb Moscow’s energy influence.
Alongside these shifts, Western nations intend to limit Moscow’s energy revenue during the ongoing conflict and to intensify economic pressure as a way to influence Russia’s conduct in Ukraine. Several pipelines connect Russia to Europe, including Yamal-Europe, Nord Stream 1, and Nord Stream 2. The European Union never ratified Nord Stream 2, and Russia halted deliveries via Nord Stream 1 in 2022. Investigations into sabotage damage affected several Nord Stream lines, raising concerns about the resilience of Europe’s gas imports.
With gas prices rising, Europe has accelerated its shift toward renewable energy and increased purchases of liquefied natural gas. The FT notes that European underground storage facilities are currently about 60 percent full, a substantial improvement from roughly 30 percent at the same point in 2022, providing a larger buffer against supply disruptions.
Oil sanctions
Bloomberg previously reported that the European Union is considering stopping oil flows from Russia to Germany and Poland via pipelines as part of a broader sanctions package. While the plan could appear in the 11th package of sanctions, exceptions would continue to permit pumping from the Druzhba southern branch to Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, according to sources with access to classified documents.
Poland had urged sanctions against pipeline oil from Russia as early as late 2022, arguing that such measures would give Warsaw a legal basis to terminate its contracts with Moscow without penalties.