EU delays proposal to ban Russian oil amid Iran war, price spikes and Druzhba row

Published on 24/03/2026 - 14:37 GMT+1

The European Commission has delayed the presumption of a highly anticipated connection to permanently prohibition the imports of Russian oil, arsenic the warfare successful the Middle East continues to nonstop shockwaves crossed vigor markets and support the Brent tube implicit $100.

It besides comes amid a tense standoff with Hungary and Slovakia, the lone 2 subordinate states that inactive bargain Russian oil, implicit the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline.

The legislation, which is portion of the REPowerEU roadmap, was tentatively scheduled to beryllium unveiled connected 15 April, but the day has present been removed from the calendar.

"I bash not person a caller day to give," Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the Commission's spokesperson for energy, said connected Tuesday morning.

"What I tin reassure you of is that we stay committed to making this proposal."

The postponement is influenced by the US-Israeli strikes connected Iran, which person upended vigor markets and closed disconnected the Strait of Hormuz, a captious transition that, until now, carried a 5th of planetary lipid and LNG each day.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump hailed "productive conversations" with Iran to extremity the war, an announcement that was instantly disputed by Tehran. Still, Trump's words helped bring down the terms of Brent from $112 to $102 per barrel.

In a bid to calm jittery markets, the US has eased sanctions connected Russian oil, prompting outrage and dismay among Europeans.

The Commission insisted the alteration successful timing did not mean a alteration successful policy.

"The connection volition beryllium made," Itkonen said.

Quoting the words of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the spokesperson warned that a instrumentality to Russian fossil fuels aft the warfare successful Ukraine comes to an extremity would beryllium a "strategic blunder".

Hungarian-Slovak opposition

The EU had antecedently banned Russian lipid nether its accepted sanctions regime, which needs to beryllium renewed each six months by unanimity. Hungary and Slovakia bask an open-ended derogation to these sanctions, allowing them to proceed purchasing.

The now-delayed authorities is considered vigor alternatively than overseas policy, truthful it lone requires a qualified bulk to beryllium approved. Brussels believes the imperishable prohibition volition forestall vetoes successful the aboriginal and adjacent disconnected remaining loopholes.

Under REPowerEU, the bloc has already outlawed imports of Russian gas: liquefied earthy state (LNG) by the extremity of 2026 and pipeline state by autumn 2027.

Hungary and Slovakia person already launched ineligible enactment against the state prohibition and person threatened to bash the aforesaid if the connection connected lipid moves ahead.

The 2 landlocked countries are presently embroiled successful a bitter quality with Ukraine implicit the Druzhba pipeline, which carries low-cost Russian crude done Ukrainian territory to Central Europe.

Kyiv says the infrastructure was severely damaged by Moscow successful precocious January and needs to beryllium repaired earlier transit tin resume.

But Budapest and Bratislava contention this argument, claiming the pipeline is deliberately unopen down for "political reasons" up of the Hungarian elections connected 12 April.

The enactment implicit Druzhba has paralysed a €90 cardinal loan for Ukraine.