Politico learned that the EU has abandoned its plan to impose a complete ban on Russian LNG imports.

The European Union will not impose a complete ban  on purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas as part of the 16th round of sanctions against Moscow, Politico reports, citing two European diplomats.

Instead, according to the newspaper, LNG supplies to terminals not connected to the EU's common gas distribution system will be halted. The restriction will not affect the majority of Russian imports, the newspaper clarifies.

The European Commission plans to formally present the 16th package of sanctions against RUSSIA to EU countries on Wednesday, January 29, sources told Politico. it will include measures against 74 oil tankers and restrictions on imports of Russian aluminum (according toBLOOMBERG , Brussels wants to introduce a phased ban on it. Gaming consoles, such as Xbox, will also be banned from entering the country.MICROSOFT and PlayStation from Sony.

The lack of a complete ban on LNG imports will disappoint hawks calling for tough measures against Russia, the newspaper notes. In December, ten EU countries, including Finland, Poland, and the Baltic states, insisted on this. Lithuanian Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas told Politico that Vilnius nevertheless expects the EU to end all energy ties with Russia in the future.

In the summer of 2024, as part of the latest round of sanctions imposed due to the fighting in Ukraine, Brussels banned any re-export of LNG supplies through the EU to third countries. Russian authorities consider these measures illegal and are demanding their repeal. "More and more people are realizing that this is a double-edged sword. Europeans are suffering because of these sanctions," the Kremlin stated.

In 2024, European countries imported a record 24.2 billion cubic meters of Russian LNG, according to estimates by the Norwegian energy consulting company Rystad Energy. Some of these volumes were then resold to other countries.

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