The Russian gas phase-out has become the main obstacle to any revival of Nord Stream, and the European Commission said so plainly on 28 October 2026. Its spokespeople told journalists that the pipeline will not carry Russian gas into Europe after the war in Ukraine ends. The statement answered a joint push from Washington and Moscow to reopen the route as part of a future settlement.
The legal picture is simple: Nord Stream 1 has been inoperable since an explosion in mid-2022, and Nord Stream 2 never won German certification. The pipeline, which stretches more than 1,200 kilometres between Russia and Germany, also falls under EU sanctions. Ursula von der Leyen has said those sanctions stay until Russia stops the war. Together, those facts leave the pipeline without a working asset or a lawful route to the European market.
Brussels also points to the Russian gas phase-out timetable it has already set. According to the Commission, short-term LNG contracts with Russia have already ended, long-term LNG contracts end in January 2027, and pipeline gas contracts end by September 2027. Energy spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said the last shipments should finish by the end of next year. The Russian gas phase-out therefore turns a political promise into a dated schedule.
The numbers show how far Europe has moved. Russian pipeline gas supplied around 40% of EU demand in 2021, and that share fell to around 6% in 2025. Chief spokesperson Paula Pinho argued that Europe knows far too well the hidden costs of depending on Russia for fossil fuels. The Commission wants member states to treat that lesson as settled policy rather than a wartime reflex.
Reversing the Russian gas phase-out would be hard. Euronews reported that scrapping the Russian gas phase-out would need a fresh Commission proposal and then a qualified majority among member states. That combination makes a quiet reopening unlikely, even if some governments feel pressure from high bills. Any such proposal would also face a long and public negotiation among the institutions.
Domestic politics keeps the argument alive. In the Bundestag, AfD leader Alice Weidel called for natural gas and crude oil from Russia to relieve German consumers and businesses, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused her of taking Russia’s side. The exchange shows that energy prices, not geopolitics alone, drive the debate in Germany.
Prices are rising for a reason, and the Russian gas phase-out sits at the centre of that argument. European gas crossed €100 per megawatt-hour this week for the first time since the 2022 crisis, and officials warn about winter supply. Those figures give supporters of Nord Stream a talking point, yet they also explain why the Commission is exploring alternatives, including a feasibility study on long-term LNG exports from Canada, instead of a return to a single dominant supplier.
The Russian gas phase-out will face its sharpest test this winter, when cold weather and tight storage could push governments toward emergency choices. Brussels has signalled that it will hold the line. If that approach works, Nord Stream becomes a closed chapter rather than a bargaining chip in peace talks.
