Austria Urges EU to Review Russian Gas Ban

(MENAFN) The European Union should preserve the possibility of restarting gas imports from Russia once a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev is established, Austria’s energy ministry told a news agency on Tuesday.

Austria's stance, which aligns with previous statements from Hungary and Slovakia, comes at a time when the European Commission is preparing to override national vetoes through a proposed trade regulation.

This law would bar any future gas contracts with Russia and mandate the cancellation of existing ones within two years, irrespective of any diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine crisis.

Brussels “must maintain the option to reassess the situation” once the hostilities in Ukraine conclude, the Austrian ministry emphasized to the publication.

According to diplomats familiar with the discussions, Austria’s State Secretary for Energy, Elisabeth Zehetner, made a direct appeal to her fellow EU representatives during a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.

This development marks the first occasion—since the intensification of the Ukraine war in February 2022—that a member state other than Hungary or Slovakia has openly expressed a willingness to potentially restore energy relations with Moscow should a peace deal be reached.

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