Poland says its ban on all Russian oil and gas imports is the most radical in Europe

Joanna Kakissis

March 30, 2022 / 8:38 am

caption: Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called his country's ban on imports of Russian gas, oil and coal the most radical in Europe.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says his country will ban all imports of Russian gas, oil and coal by the end of the year.

Speaking to reporters outside fuel storage warehouses near Warsaw, Morawiecki called the ban the most radical in Europe. He said other European countries "are not doing anything about the war" and continue to use Russian resources.

"While others in Europe looked at Russia as a business partner," he said, "we saw that Russia uses gas and oil as a way to blackmail."

Morawiecki singled out Germany, which is heavily dependent on Russian fuel. He urged Germany and other EU countries to follow Poland's lead.

Poland plans to stop importing coal from Russia in the next few weeks. It plans to cut off Russian oil and gas by December.

Poland has slowly worked for years to cut its reliance on Russian fuel. The U.S., Qatar and Norway export liquified natural gas to a newly-expanded terminal in Swinoujscie in northwestern Poland. The new pipeline bringing gas from Norway is set to open at the end of the year. Morawiecki says Poland will also use more renewable energy.

Dawid Krawczyk contributed to this report.