Moscow, March 5 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview on Wednesday that Russia could stop supplying natural gas to European union (EU) countries ahead of schedule for commercial reasons. He linked the potential move to EU plans to impose new restrictions on Russian gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.
Putin noted that EU countries are planning to introduce new restrictions on Russian gas purchases within a month, with further tightening over the next year that could lead to a full ban.
“Other markets are opening up now. Perhaps, for the time being, it would be more profitable for us to halt supplies to the European market and strengthen our presence in new export regions. There are no political implications in this,” he said.
The Russian president further emphasised that these are just considerations at this stage and no decision has been finalised.
The warning comes amid a spike in global energy prices triggered by the Iran crisis. Oil and gas prices have surged following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks by Tehran on Gulf Arab neighbours. The conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and forced shutdowns at Qatar’s LNG facilities and Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery.
In January, the European Council approved a ban on Russian pipeline gas and LNG imports into the EU, with a full ban on LNG starting January 2027 and pipeline gas from autumn 2027. According to the Council, combined pipeline gas and LNG accounted for roughly 13 percent of Russia’s total gas exports to the EU in 2025.
