Poland is set to end all Russian energy imports, including oil, gas and coal by the end of 2022, according to a statement made by the country’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, during a press conference on Wednesday.
The prime minister announced that the country plans to impose a total embargo on Russian coal in April or May, at the latest, while doing everything possible to abandon Russian oil and gas imports by the end of the year.
Morawiecki stated that Poland is introducing “the most radical plan in Europe to abandon Russian hydrocarbons,” saying that it’s essential for the recovery of Europe, accusing Russia of using its energy resources as blackmail against the EU.
“When others in Europe were treating Russia as a business partner, we knew that Russia was using gas and oil as a tool for blackmail. That is why we have been arguing for years to take these tools away from Putin and Russia,” said Morawiecki, urging other European nations to follow Poland’s approach.
Poland is the first EU country to propose a complete ban of Russian resources, as Russian gas still accounts for some 40% of the bloc’s total consumption and many European nations are still heavily reliant on Russian oil and coal.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s central bank and energy giant Gazprom to prepare proposals to have gas payments from “unfriendly” countries made in rubles - a plan that has since been rejected by the EU and G7 countries despite Moscow saying it will not give away gas for free.