Donald Trump is right that European countries should stop buying Russian oil and gas, one of the EU’s top officials has told Sky News.
Speaking on The World with Yalda Hakim, European Commission vice president Kaja Kallas said it was of “great regret” that this was still happening among some of the bloc’s member states.
The commission has proposed legislation to phase out Russian imports of its oil and gas by 1 January 2028, as Brussels tries to cut its decades-old energy relations with Moscow following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Most European countries stopped importing Russian crude oil in 2022 and Russian fuel in 2023, but crude imports by Hungary and Slovakia have continued.
European Commission vice-president Kaja Kallas
Ms Kallas, who is the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said of Mr Trump‘s energy call: “Of course he has a point.
“We have been saying this for quite some time, that the dependency on Russian oil and gas is actually also fuelling the war.”
She said it was of “great regret” that not all member states had given up on supplies from Moscow, and said there were other options.
“Neighbours around those countries have also proposed alternatives, so we can do this,” she said.
Ms Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister, does not think NATO and EU members Hungary or Slovakia should be sanctioned, but instead they should “really build on the alternatives that neighbours are providing them to get rid of the Russian oil and gas like President Trump has asked”.
Trump had hoped to persuade Putin to agree a peace deal – but hasn’t had any luck. Pic: Reuters
On Wednesday, Slovakia pushed back on pressure it is facing to cut back its purchases of Russian energy, saying it was ready to discuss the issue, but singled out some European states for increasing purchases from Moscow.
Slovakian foreign minister Juraj Blanar said there was hypocrisy in criticising his country when liquefied natural gas purchases from Russia to Western Europe had increased by 30% over the last year.
“France, Spain, and the Netherlands… so can you see the picture is a little bit more colourful than black and white,” he said.
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Slovakia’s foreign minister Juraj Blanar (R) speaks to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Pic: AP
Donald Trump has said the US was prepared to impose energy sanctions against Russia – but only if all NATO countries stop buying Russian oil and implement similar measures.
“I am ready to do major sanctions on Russia when all NATO nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO nations stop buying oil from Russia,” the US president said on his Truth Social platform earlier this month.
And at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, he said: “In the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed, I believe, very quickly.”
But for the measures to be effective, he said, “European nations, all of you gathered here, would have to join us in adopting the exact same measures.”
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Yalda Hakim on development between Trump and Zelenskyy
Energy revenues remain the Kremlin’s single most important source of cash to finance the war effort, making oil and gas exports a central target of Western sanctions.
But officials and analysts warn that aggressive curbs on Russian crude also risk driving up global oil prices, a prospect that could strain Western economies and weaken public support for the measures.
Since 2023, NATO member Turkey has been the third-largest buyer of Russian oil, after China and India, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
