Finland will independently ban russian gas imports by sea

The Finnish government is going to ban imports of russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the national level starting in 2025, Minister of Climate and Environment Kai Mukkänen said.

The European Union has failed to agree on joint sanctions against russian gas, but in the spring of 2024, a regulation is due to come into force that will allow member states to ban its imports for security reasons. Latvia and Lithuania have already banned russian gas imports at the national level without waiting for these changes, while Finland decided to wait for them.

"I don't want to promise any specific date, but I hope that next year we will be in a situation where the ban will be in effect," he said.

The minister added that Finland's LNG imports are small, but it's a matter of principle.

Finland no longer imports pipeline gas from russia, but continues to buy liquefied natural gas, explaining this by contractual obligations. The agreement between the Finnish company Gasum and russian Gazprom is based on the take-or-pay principle, so even if Finland stopped taking the contracted volumes, it would have to pay for them. Gasum claims that it buys the minimum amount of gas the contract allows.

"It would be easier if it was a joint decision of the European Union, but some member states are not ready. It is impossible to make such a decision at the EU level, it is a fact," he said.

Source: LIGA.net, Helsingin Sanomat