In the upcoming meeting, EU energy ministers will deliberate on a strategy for the gradual cessation of Russian energy imports.
This was announced by a senior EU diplomat.

On October 8, EU ambassadors convened to discuss the initiative aimed at reducing dependence on Russian energy supplies. They agreed to pass this initiative to their ministers.

According to information from the EU Council's website, the next ministerial meeting is scheduled for October 20. They are expected to reach an agreement on proposals to progressively halt gas and oil imports from Russia, with a complete ban by January 1, 2028.

The proposed regulation pertains to both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is a key outcome of the "REPowerEU roadmap for phasing out Russian energy imports," issued by the European Commission in May 2025.

"At today's meeting of EU ambassadors, there was broad support for this initiative, and the Danish presidency decided that the final decision will be made by ministers at the Energy Council meeting. However, no final decision was scheduled for today," said the diplomat.
It is worth noting that Slovakia and Hungary had previously opposed this plan. However, unanimity is not required in this case, as energy decisions are made by a qualified majority.

Earlier in the day, Reuters reported that France and Italy support the overall plan but want supply shipments to either be pre-authorized — if authorities can arrange this quickly enough — or checked by authorities upon arrival in the EU to ensure compliance with the ban, according to EU diplomats.