The key facts
- Peskov: Russia is interested in all markets that are beneficial to it
- The EU will ban Russian LNG from January 1, 2027, and pipeline gas from September 30, 2027
- In August 2026, Russia rose to third place among gas suppliers to the EU, with purchases of €1.26 billion
The Kremlin has outlined its approach to gas exports
Russia is ready to supply gas to any markets if such cooperation brings economic benefit. This was stated by the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, in response to a question from RIA Novosti about the prospects for exporting Russian fuel to Europe. «Putin has explained this repeatedly. We are interested in all markets that are beneficial to us,» — his words are cited by Life.ru.
Conditions and limitations
A return to discussing gas supplies to European countries depends not only on the interest of buyers: as Life.ru previously reported, Moscow must also have spare volumes of fuel. After Europe reduced its purchases, Russia began developing other export destinations more actively.
The EU's phase-out schedule
Meanwhile, the European Union continues its gradual phase-out of Russian gas. According to the EU's approved schedule, a ban on the remaining supplies of Russian LNG will come into force on January 1, 2027, and on pipeline gas from September 30 of the same year. For the latter deadline, a postponement to November 1 is provided under certain conditions.
Moscow's position and current supplies
Life.ru previously reported on the position of Vladimir Putin, who recalled that Moscow has not imposed any bans on the sale of energy resources to European states: the decision to reduce purchases, according to the president, was made by the European countries themselves. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, speaking at Russian Energy Week, saidthat Russia continues to fulfil existing contracts, and drew attention to the reorientation of a significant share of energy exports to the Asia-Pacific region. Despite the restrictions, trade continues: according to Eurostat data for August 2026, Russia rose to third place among gas suppliers to the European Union by import value, and European purchases of Russian pipeline gas and LNG for the month reached €1.26 billion.
Why this matters
Peskov's statement shows that Moscow has not formally closed the door to European buyers, but the EU's approved phase-out schedule sets strict deadlines: from 2027, supplies of LNG and pipeline gas will be banned. For European consumers, this means limited time to restructure their purchases, while for Russian exporters it means the need to rely on the Asian direction, the reorientation toward which Novak spoke about. At the same time, Russia's growing share among gas suppliers to the EU in August 2026 underscores that trade continues in significant volumes until the bans take effect.
