Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia could stop sending gas to the European Union immediately, instead of waiting for the EU’s own phase-out timeline by 2027.
Putin made the comments in an interview with Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin. Putin argued that Europe’s jump in gas prices is the result of the EU’s own policy mistakes, not Russian action.
He suggested it could be “more profitable” to leave the European market now and focus on other buyers.
“Maybe it’s more profitable for us to stop supplying to the European market right now? Go to those markets that are opening up and gain a foothold there?” Putin said.
Kyiv and several European analysts see the message as political pressure. The timing matters because Europe is entering the spring season when countries refill gas storage for next winter.
The EU is eyeing a full ban on Russian gas by 2027.
The Council of the EU says a new 2026 regulation sets a step-by-step ban on Russian gas purchases. Among the key dates:
- April 25, 2026 – EU ban on short-term contracts for Russian LNG.
- June 17, 2026 – EU ban on short-term contracts for Russian pipeline gas.
- Jan. 1, 2027 – ban on long-term LNG contracts.
- Sept. 30, 2027 – ban on long-term pipeline contracts, with an alternate date of Nov. 1, 2027, in some cases tied to storage targets.
What Ukraine is saying
Ukrainian officials are describing Putin’s remarks as “Energy Blackmail 2.0.” They say Russia is trying to exploit the current global energy shock – linked to the war in the Middle East – to scare Europe into easing its latest sanctions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a scheduled call this week to coordinate positions, according to the European Commission.
The commission said on Wednesday, March 4, that it sees no immediate oil or gas supply risk, but it is monitoring the situation closely.
New words, old threats
Ukraine says it already adjusted to a “zero-transit” reality. The transit arrangement involving Russia’s Gazprom and Ukraine’s Naftogaz ended on Jan. 1, 2025, and Ukraine has operated without Russian transit for more than a year.
An EU cutoff would still matter to Ukraine. It could raise the price Kyiv pays for gas imported from European hubs. But it would not physically cut supply, because Ukraine’s import routes now run mainly west-to-east through EU neighbors.
The Azerbaijan wildcard
Another question is whether Europe could use swap deals involving Azerbaijan – moving Azerbaijani gas onward through existing routes while Russia supplies equivalent volumes to Azerbaijan at home.
Some analysts argue that Putin’s “stop now” talk is also designed to block any compromise option and force a harder choice for Europe during the crisis.