The decision could turn the bloc's members into Washington's "miserable slaves," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said

The EU decision to ban all Russian gas imports essentially amounts to the bloc forgoing its own freedom, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. The move would just make it heavily reliant on another supplier, she told Russian broadcaster Zvezda on Monday.

Earlier the same day, EU nations gave final approval to legislation demanding the bloc's members halt all deliveries by late 2027. The widely debated bill was designed to be passed by a reinforced majority of countries, allowing the bloc to overcome opposition from some members like Hungary and Slovakia, which remain heavily reliant on Russian energy imports. In November, Budapest vowed to take the case to the European Court of Justice.

"It is difficult to say definitively whether they are happy vassals or miserable slaves. Time will tell. They did give up their freedom anyway," Zakharova said, commenting on the Monday vote.

She was referring to a statement by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who told the World Economic Forum in Davos last week that "being a happy vassal is one thing. Being a miserable slave is something else" as he criticized US President Donald Trump's push to acquire Greenland.

The bloc has faced a surge in energy prices since it began phasing out Russian oil and gas following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. The EU's shift away from comparatively inexpensive Russian pipeline gas imports has also led to increased reliance on US-sourced liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies.

Last week, the German Environmental Aid Association stated that the nation was almost fully dependent on the US for LNG imports. Germany's economy, which relied on Russia for 55% of its natural gas, took a heavy blow when the country joined Western sanctions against Moscow.

The German economy contracted in 2023 and 2024, with various officials and public figures repeatedly naming high energy prices as one of the key factors behind the slowdown. In mid-January, the country's Chamber of Commerce and Industry linked it to what it called an alarmingly high number of bankruptcies.