Încă de la începutul invadării ilegale pe scară largă a Ucrainei de către Rusia, din februarie 2022, Uniunea Europeană a rămas alături de Ucraina și de poporul său. Uniunea a condamnat agresiunea Rusiei, a impus sancțiuni împotriva acesteia și a acordat Ucrainei un ajutor financiar, umanitar și militar semnificativ. Războiul continuă și în prezent, iar Uniunea rămâne la fel de fermă în sprijinul său acordat Ucrainei. Lupta nu se rezumă la integritatea teritorială, căci implică și apărarea valorilor europene precum democrația, suveranitatea și pacea.

Războiul rus de agresiune împotriva Ucrainei

In an unprecedented and unanimous reaction to Russia's war on Ukraine that began on 24 February 2022, the EU swiftly decided to make available €500 million from the European Peace Facility – followed soon after by additional financing – to fund EU military assistance and to deliver military equipment to Ukraine. For the first time in its history, the EU is now using a dedicated, although off-budget, tool to finance – but not to deliver, with that responsibility falling on Member States alone – lethal military equipment to a third country. This is a further update of a publication, the previous edition of which was released on 30 March 2022. UPDATE: Since the recording of this podcast, the EU has agreed to mobilise additional financing of military assistance to Ukraine amounting to €2 billion currently.

EPRS policy podcast - Russia's war on Ukraine: The EU's financing of military assistance to Ukraine

The war on Ukraine is the latest manifestation of Russia's revisionist policy over the past decade. Russia has increasingly been using hybrid warfare tactics to assert its international position and gain 'strategic leverage'. Russia has used both non-conventional and conventional warfare tactics in conflicts in the EU's neighbourhood, in particular in Syria, Libya, Africa and in Ukraine. Prior to the ongoing war, Russia seized and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and carried on a war in Donbass, recognising unilaterally, a couple of days before the invasion of Ukraine, the independence of the self-proclaimed independent republics of Luhansk and Donetsk. In this podcast, we’ll analyse the impact of Russia’s expansionism on the EU and different scenarios on Russia’s possible behaviour in the next years, up to 2030. #FutureShocks2022

EPRS policy podcast - Future shocks: Russia's brutal expansionism

Following the post-Cold War reset, EU-Russia relations have been strained, not least by Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, to which the EU responded with hard-hitting sanctions. Putin’s support for rebel groups in eastern Ukraine, his policies in the neighbourhood, disinformation campaigns and Russia’s intervention in Syria just added fuel to the fire... And yet, the two remain closely interdependent… So, how to deal with Putin’s Russia?

EPRS policy podcast - The EU and Russia: Locked into confrontation

EU-Russia relations have been strained since 2014 because of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, support for rebel groups in eastern Ukraine, policies in the neighbourhood, disinformation campaigns and negative internal developments.

Russia has adopted assertive international positions and tensions have worsened over Russian intervention in Syria. The EU has regularly renewed sanctions against Russia since 2014. The EU and Russia remain closely interdependent and the EU applies a ‘selective engagement’ approach.

EU - Russia - 8th parliamentary term

EU-Russia relations have been strained since 2014 because of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, support for rebel groups in eastern Ukraine, policies in the neighbourhood, disinformation campaigns and negative internal developments. Tensions have also grown over Russian intervention in Syria. The EU has regularly renewed sanctions against Russia since 2014. The EU and Russia remain closely interdependent and the EU applies a ‘selective engagement’ approach.

EU - Russia (2019-2020)

EU-Russia relations have become increasingly strained over the past decade, not least because of the country's 2014 annexation of Crimea, the Kremlin’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and Russia’s military intervention in Syria. Another source of tension is Russia’s disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks, as well as attempts to interfere in Western democratic processes and the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, EU economic sanctions target Russia’s financial, defence and energy sectors. Russia has responded with counter-sanctions.&nbsp;

The European Parliament (April plenary session) confirmed concern about Russian military posturing close to the country’s border with Ukraine as well as in illegally occupied Crimea. The EP resolution also deplored the revelation that Russian intelligence services set off the explosion of an arms depot in Vrbětice, Czechia, in 2014, in which two Czech citizens were killed. Parliament also reiterated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

On 30 April Russia barred eight officials from European Union countries from entering the country in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russian citizens by the EU. Russia's foreign ministry said those banned included Vera Jourova, vice president for values and transparency at the executive European Commission and David Sassoli, the President of the European Parliament. Presidents of the European Council, Commission and Parliament condemned in a joint statement the imposition of restrictive measures targeting the EU by Russia as unacceptable and groundless.

During September&nbsp;vote in plenary Parliament said that&nbsp;the EU must push back against aggressive policies while laying the groundwork for cooperation with a future democratic Russia.&nbsp;Assessing the state of EU-Russia relations, the European Parliament made&nbsp;clear that it distinguishes between the Russian people and President Vladimir Putin’s regime.&nbsp;

EU - Russia

MEPs debate on on phasing out Russian natural gas imports

MEPs are set to approve a new law banning imports of Russian natural gas, to protect the EU’s energy security from weaponisation by the Russian Federation.

The draft law was provisionally agreed between Parliament and Council negotiators on 3 December 2025. Spot-market Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be banned from the EU once the regulation enters into force in early 2026. Pipeline gas imports will be phased out by 30 September 2027. The new law also establishes penalties for member states to enforce against operators in the event of infringements.

Background

This legislative proposal comes in response to Russia’s systematic weaponisation of energy supplies, a pattern documented over nearly two decades and escalating with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The 2022 invasion came with further deliberate market manipulation, including Gazprom’s unprecedented underfilling of EU storage facilities and abrupt halts to pipelines, causing energy prices to spike to up to eight times their pre-crisis levels.

EP Plenary debate on phasing out Russian natural gas imports

MEPs debate the ongoing threats to EU airspace and critical infrastructure posed by Russia and Belarus.

The debate comes after Lithuania shut its border crossings with Belarus at the end of October 2025 after authorities detected smuggling balloons drifting from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace. The balloons, officials say, posed a threat to civil aviation and are part of a continuous hybrid operation orchestrated by dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s Belarusian government.

The plenary debate with the Commission is also expected to refer to a recent explosion on a railway line in Poland, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk referred to as “an unprecedented act of sabotage”.

EP Plenary debate on the continuous violations of EU airspace

A “reparations loan” to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction and defence is the subject of a debate with Commission and Council representatives.

The EU is working on an ambitious initiative to unlock €185 billion in frozen Russian Central Bank assets. Announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month during her State of the Union speech as a “reparations loan”, the assets themselves would not be touched and Ukraine would only reimburse the loan once Russia pays the reparations. EU leaders will be discussing this plan at their summit on 23-24 October.

Background

After Russia launched its full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine, the international community prohibited all transactions involving the assets and reserves of the Central Bank of Russia. As a result, €260 billion of these assets worldwide are currently “immobilised”, with more than two thirds (about €210 billion) in the EU. Depending on the interest rates, revenues from these immobilised assets can total up to €3 billion annually.

EP Pleanry debate on the stepping up funding for Ukraine and using frozen Russian assets

MEPs debate recent Russian incursions into EU airspace with representatives of the Danish Council Presidency and the European Commission.

A resolution will be put to a vote on Thursday.

The debate follows incidents in which Russian drones and aircraft violated both Polish and Estonian airspace in recent weeks. It also comes after drones of unidentified origin caused disturbances at and around civilian airports and military bases in Denmark – events that the Danish authorities have referred to as “concerted hybrid attacks”.

EP Plenary debate on Russian violations of EU airspace and critical infrastructure

MEPs examine the Kremlin’s continued repression of Russia’s political opposition a year after the murder of Alexei Navalny. Mr Navalny, one of Russia’s most well-known anti-corruption activists, an opposition politician, and an ardent critic of Vladimir Putin, died under mysterious circumstances in a remote penal colony in the Russian Arctic on 16 February 2024, while serving a long prison sentence on trumped-up charges. After his death, the European Parliament adopted a resolution holding the Russian state, and President Putin in particular, responsible for his death.

Debate on the one year after the murder of Alexei Navalny and the continued repression of the democratic opposition in Russia

Plenary preparations. Political groups will prepare for the 10 - 13 February plenary session in which MEPs will debate the EU’s continued support for Ukraine after three years of Russia’s war of aggression, providing support to EU regions that border Russia, as well as the continued repression of the democratic opposition in Russia one year after the murder of Alexei Navalny. Plenary will also vote on a resolution on the further deterioration of the political situation in Georgia, debate the Commission work programme for 2025, the recent proposals to boost the EU’s competitiveness, the consequences of the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and from the World Health Organisation, as well as the threats that strategic reliance on third countries in communication infrastructure pose to EU sovereignty.

Pre-session briefing

MEPs and EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas debate Russia’s manipulation of history and use of false narratives to justify its war in Ukraine.

The debate is likely to focus on Russian historical disinformation narratives to discredit and undermine international support for Ukraine, efforts which are intended to hurt Ukrainian independence and sovereignty.

Debate on Russian disinformation on Ukraine

MEPs reaffirm their strong support for Ukraine and criticise the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, in a resolution.

When addressing the European Parliament on Tuesday 19 November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that “Putin has brought 11,000 North Korean troops to Ukraine’s border” (...) and that “the contingent may grow to 100,0000”. Many of these troops have recently been reported as having been deployed as part of Russia’s airborne units and marines in the Kursk region, another growing sign of the increasing military cooperation between the regimes in Moscow and Pyongyang.

A statement issued by Parliament’s leaders on 19 November 2024 called on the EU to “step up support for Ukraine in every way, including politically, financially, militarily and with humanitarian aid” and reiterated that “we stand with and support Ukraine in every possible way until its victory.”

Reinforcing EU’s unwavering support to Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression and the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia

EP Plenary Session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law

One of the first, and boldest, measures taken by Western countries as a response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was the immobilisation of the Russian central bank assets held under their jurisdictions, the value of which could be around €300 billion worldwide, according to recent estimations. As the war is well into its fourth year, the debate on how to use the immobilised assets to sustain Ukraine's reconstruction efforts – a cost estimated at US$524 billion – has evolved.

Frozen Russian assets: where are they immobilised?

EP Plenarysession - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law

EP Plenarysession - Cases of pro-Russian espionage in the European Parliament

Press conference on on the phasing-out of Russian gas in the EU

EP Plenary session - Voting session

EP Plenary session - Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation

ITRE - Press point on Phasing out Russian natural gas imports

AFET - Presentation of the in-depth analysis on EU sanctions and Russia’s frozen assets

Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Marilena RAOUNA, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, on behalf of the Cyprus Presidency, sign one COD LEX with Inese VAIDERE (EPP), Bernd LANGE (S&D) and Ville NIINISTÖ (Greens/EFA) (Russian Oil and Gas) - Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938

LEX signing ceremony in presence of Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Marilena RAOUNA, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, on behalf of the Cyprus Presidency

Ville NIINISTÖ (Greens/EFA, FI), rapporteur, and Inese VAIDERE (EPP, LV), rapporteur, hold a press conference on the phasing-out of Russian gas in the EU. This transcription if the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery

Press conference by Ville NIINISTÖ (Greens/EFA, FI), rapporteur, and Inese VAIDERE (EPP, LV), rapporteur, on the phasing-out of Russian gas in the EU

1. Appointment of the Executive Director of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority 2. EU/Jordan Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation 3. European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) 4. Phasing out Russian natural gas imports 5. Deforestation Regulation 6. Simplification of the content and presentation of information to be disclosed concerning environmentally sustainable activities and simplification of certain technical screening criteria for determining whether economic activities cause no significant harm to environmental objectives

Voting Session

This news item covers key moments from the plenary debate on phasing out Russian natural gas imports, as MEPs and the Commission framed the legislation as a strategic, political, and moral response to Russia’s weaponisation of energy. MEPs underlined that the EU has already begun replacing Russian gas and described the ban as a historic step to end blackmail, manipulation, and long-term dependency, while stressing the need for a stable legal framework beyond sanctions. At the same time, concerns were raised about the higher costs of liquefied natural gas and the risk of passing inflationary pressures on to citizens and businesses. Several voices also warned against replacing one dependency with another, calling instead for stronger investment in renewables, energy efficiency, and European energy sovereignty.

Phasing out Russian natural gas imports: extracts from the debate

Closing of the debate by Dan JØRGENSEN, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Ville NIINISTÖ (Greens/EFA, FI), and Inese VAIDERE (EPP, LV), Rapporteurs. This legislative proposal comes in response to Russia’s systematic weaponisation of energy supplies, a pattern documented over nearly two decades and escalating with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The 2022 invasion came with further deliberate market manipulation, including Gazprom’s unprecedented underfilling of EU storage facilities and abrupt halts to pipelines, causing energy prices to spike to up to eight times their pre-crisis levels.

Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation: closing statements by Dan JØRGENSEN, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, , Ville NIINISTÖ and Inese VAIDERE, Rapporteurs

MEPs debate on phasing out Russian natural gas imports. This legislative proposal comes in response to Russia’s systematic weaponisation of energy supplies, a pattern documented over nearly two decades and escalating with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The 2022 invasion came with further deliberate market manipulation, including Gazprom’s unprecedented underfilling of EU storage facilities and abrupt halts to pipelines, causing energy prices to spike to up to eight times their pre-crisis levels.

Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation: MEPs debate (part 1)

Opening statements by Ville NIINISTÖ (Greens/EFA, FI), Rapporteur, Inese VAIDERE (EPP, LV), Rapporteurs, Dan JØRGENSEN, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, and Paulius SAUDARGAS (EPP, LT), IMCO representative on phasing out Russian natural gas imports. This legislative proposal comes in response to Russia’s systematic weaponisation of energy supplies, a pattern documented over nearly two decades and escalating with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The 2022 invasion came with further deliberate market manipulation, including Gazprom’s unprecedented underfilling of EU storage facilities and abrupt halts to pipelines, causing energy prices to spike to up to eight times their pre-crisis levels.

EU - Russia (T)

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