The two largest buyers of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the European Union, France and Belgiumrefuse to support the Brussels plan for a complete ban on Russian gas, arguing that more assurances are needed for the financial and legal impacts before making a definitive decision.

France, the largest buyer of the bloc, told Politico that she prefers an alternative procurement strategy.

Belgium, the second largest buyer, calls for a report to analyze the financial consequences of such a ban before taking an official position.

French Energy Minister Mark Feratsi said that “we are defending a European differentiation strategy already on the table”, referring to the French replacement plan of Russian LNG with Qatar products.

The reluctance of France and Belgium contradicts the attitude of other important importers of Russian LNG, Spain and the Netherlands, who are ready to support the upcoming European Commission’s upcoming plan to terminate Russian gas contracts.

Both countries have expressed their support for the new legislative proposal, which provides for the termination of existing contracts with Russian companies, the interruption of short -term markets within the year, and the abolition of long -term agreements by 2027. Theoretically, this would allow the states to be bought by states from the states of years.

For the European Commission, the support of all four of the top Russian LNG buyers is crucial, as it is expected to formally submit its proposal next month. Hungary and Slovakia are almost certain to try to block the ban, seeking to continue to benefit from the cheapest Russian gas.

Many politicians and representatives of the energy industry are calling for a return to Russian energy after the war, citing high energy costs and fragile European economy. Therefore, the participation of the four largest buyers would send a strong message of unity.

Last year, the four countries imported 16.77 million tonnes of Russian LNG, a quantity of 97% of EU total imports and over 50% of Moscow’s world exports, according to the Kpler commodity platform. The cost for these countries exceeded 6 billion euros.

For Spain and the Netherlands, a third and fourth largest Russian LNG buyer respectively, the EU proposal offers an opportunity for energy detachment from Russia.

“Spain supports the European Commission’s proposal to ban imports of Russian gas as soon as possible … through a common European position,” a spokesman for the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition said. Spain is currently committed to a contract with the Russian company Novatek by 2042, through an agreement signed by the Naturgy domestic company.

The Netherlands also “continues to support the complete detachment of Russian gas,” a Dutch ministry spokesman at Politico said.

“We look forward to the legal proposal of the European Commission, which will allow us to eliminate the other quantities.” The Netherlands is currently committed to a long -term procurement contract under the supervision of French Totalenergies by 2032.

On the contrary, France appears more cautious, citing perennial contracts, such as the agreement it signed in 2023 with Qatar to introduce new amounts of LNG.

Although Paris supports the strategy of reducing Russian fossil fuel dependence, French Undersecretary of Energy Mark Ferraci warned that “a ban at European level means that no Member State will be able to introduce Russian LNG”.

Fraraci also expressed concerns about the legal security of the Brussels proposal, noting that private companies may face Russian lawsuits for breach of contracts. Totalenergies, for example, is bound by a supply contract with the Russian Novatek by 2032 and also holds 20% of the Yamal project, which operates a LNG unit in Siberia.

“The stock of existing contracts … must be legally protected,” Ferasi said.

The European Commission did not respond to Politico’s request for comment, but has previously assured that its proposals are legally safe.

Belgium, which is to continue importing and storing Russian LNG by 2035, asks the Commission to dismantle any doubt about the impact of the plan.

Before the EU formally announced its proposals, “we are asking the Commission to present an in -depth analysis of impacts of the measures,” Belgian Energy Minister Matie Bier said. As he said, his country will launch technical consultations on the impact of proposed measures on the Belgian LNG infrastructure.

EU official He confirmed that the Commission is preparing a special document for the analysis of the impact.

“It is necessary to wait for the full legal package to understand the consequences for our country,” Bier added.

The division is mainly due to the adequacy of gas reserves, Laura Page, Kpler’s LANG analyst, explained. Spain came out of winter with higher stock levels than France and Belgium.

However, he added, a ban on Russian LNG will not cause a crisis of competence, as all countries can obtain increased quantities from the US and Canada, which will significantly enhance their capacity by 2025.