Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow may find it more advantageous to halt gas supplies to Europe now rather than wait for European countries to phase out Russian fuel entirely. He made the remarks in a conversation with journalist Pavel Zarubin, the Kremlin reported on March 4.
According to Putin, European states are preparing in the near future to introduce restrictions on purchases of Russian gas, including liquefied natural gas, and then tighten the measures further. “They plan in a month… to introduce restrictions on buying Russian gas, including liquefied gas, and a year later—in 2027—further restrictions, up to a complete ban. Meanwhile, other markets are opening up. And perhaps it would be more advantageous for us to stop supplies to the European market right now? Move to those markets that are opening and establish ourselves there?” he said.
Putin stressed that he does not see such a move as politically motivated. “If they are going to shut it down for us in a month or two anyway, wouldn’t it be better for us to stop now ourselves and move to those countries that are reliable partners? And establish ourselves there,” the Russian president said.
He added, however, that no decision has yet been made. “But this is not a decision—these are, so to speak, thoughts voiced aloud. I will instruct the government to work through this issue together with our companies,” Putin said.
In January, European Union countries agreed to phase out Russian gas entirely by 2027. Slovakia and Hungary opposed the decision and continue to receive Russian fuel via the TurkStream pipeline.
According to data from the European gas transmission group Entsog, in 2025 exports of Russian pipeline gas to Europe fell by 44%, totaling 18 billion cubic meters.
Meanwhile, the world’s largest supplier of liquefied natural gas—Qatar—announced a halt to gas production, without specifying when output might resume.