EU sticks to 2028 Russian gas exit after talks with US energy chief

By Kate Abnett, Charlotte Van Campenhout and Julia Payne

BRUSSELS, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The EU is sticking to its deadline to phase out Russian oil and gas imports by 2028, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Thursday after a meeting with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

The EU is negotiating legal proposals to completely phase out imports of Russian oil and gas by January 1, 2028, with a ban on short-term contracts kicking in from next year, but it also faces pressure from the United States to end Russian energy imports sooner.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday the EU was considering a faster phase-out of Russian fossil fuels as part of new sanctions against Moscow.

EU officials were in Washington earlier this week to discuss sanctions, but Jorgensen said that sanctions were not discussed during his meeting with Wright in Brussels on Thursday.

Jorgensen's focus was making sure EU countries and lawmakers approve the 2028 phase out as soon as possible, he said.

"This is a very, very ambitious plan," he said.

"If there are any other things that we can do, at the same time, that will also put pressure on Russia, I am of course very happy to do that," he said.

The 2028 phase-out plan would fix the EU's Russian energy ban into law. In contrast, sanctions require re-approval from EU countries every six months.

The EU could agree its 2028 phase-out and, on top of this, pass sanctions to ban Russian energy imports sooner.

Von der Leyen did not specify on Wednesday how the EU would use sanctions to phase out Russian energy sooner. Brussels is currently drafting a 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which EU diplomats said could be proposed as soon as Friday, but may be delayed into next week.

U.S. President Donald Trump, seeking to end the war in Ukraine, told European leaders last week to stop buying oil from Russia, a White House official said.

Jorgensen declined to comment on whether Wright had asked the EU to quit Russian gas and oil faster.

"Our goal is to deploy American energy exports to our allies around the world... That point, I think, hits home in Europe," Wright told reporters after the meeting in Brussels.

"We're driving to move that to zero, and the biggest filler of that hole has been energy exports from the United States. We want to continue to do that, and end all Russian energy imports into the EU.”

Jorgensen said they had agreed Europe needs to move as fast as possible to do this and had discussed "several ways in which we can make this happen as fast as possible".

The EU's proposed phase out by 2028 is designed "to happen in a way that doesn't lead to increase in prices, and future supply problems", Jorgensen said - adding that this would require Europe to buy more U.S. liquefied natural gas.