US urges Europe to stop buying Russian oil, gas in exchange for tougher Moscow sanctions
Editor's note: The story was updated with the comment from Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the European Commission spokesperson for climate, energy, transport, and taxation.
European countries must halt imports of Russian oil and gas if they expect Washington to escalate sanctions against Moscow, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sept. 8.
His comments follow U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that he is prepared to begin a "second phase" of sanctions on Russia.
Wright said Washington would act more aggressively if European countries cut energy ties with Moscow and instead bought American liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fuel.
"If the Europeans drew a line and said: 'We're not going to buy more Russian gas, we're not going to buy Russian oil.' Would that have a positive influence on the U.S. leaning in more aggressively (on sanctions) as well? Absolutely," Wright said.
The secretary added that such a shift would fulfill a U.S.-EU trade agreement requiring Europe to purchase $750 billion worth of U.S. energy resources by the end of 2028.
"Russia funds its war machine off oil exports and natural gas exports, and if you cut off European purchase of those, it shrinks their money," he said.
In response to a query from the Kyiv Independent, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the European Commission spokesperson for climate, energy, transport, and taxation, said that the EU has a clear goal to phase out Russian energy supplies as soon as possible — not only gas, LNG, and oil, but also nuclear energy.
Itkonen recalled that in June, the European Commission proposed ending imports of Russian gas and oil by 2027, and said it "stands firmly by this objective," expressing hope that co-legislators will reach an agreement "by the end of the year."
"The sooner we have that import ban in place, the better our energy security, independence, and price stability," Itkonen said.
"Russia has for years been an unreliable energy supplier for the EU," the spokesperson said. "If we want to become energy independent in the EU, this is a necessary step we have to take, all together, as a Union."
The remarks come as the European Union moves to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels, which continues to finance the Kremlin's war effort. In 2024, the bloc imported 52 billion cubic meters of Russian gas and 13 million tons of crude oil despite pledges to diversify supply.
Brussels proposed in June a legally binding ban on all Russian fossil fuel imports by the end of 2027. Lawmakers are weighing an accelerated phaseout starting in January 2027, though Hungary and Slovakia have warned of economic fallout.
Despite strong rhetoric, the Trump administration has so far imposed only limited penalties on Moscow, and in some cases has even eased previously enacted restrictions.
In August, Washington imposed tariffs on India, one of Russia's largest oil buyers, but has refrained from broader measures. Indian officials said the tariffs would not stop their Russian crude imports.
European Council President Antonio Costa said on Sept. 5 that a European delegation will travel to Washington to coordinate on a new joint sanctions package against Russia.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a day later that Washington is prepared to expand secondary tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, but no additional steps have been announced.
