The three Baltic states used a meeting of EU energy ministers on 26 June to call for the rapid introduction of a ban on Russian oil imports, according to EU diplomatic sources. The intervention, reported by the Financial Times, aims to revive a proposal that the European Commission removed from its preliminary agenda in March, after the outbreak of war between the US-Israeli coalition and Iran triggered fears of a severe energy supply crisis. The push comes as a US-Iran memorandum of understanding, signed remotely on 17 June, raised the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas transits.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania argued that the changed security environment on the Middle Eastern shipping lane removes the immediate rationale for delaying the measure. Poland’s energy minister, Wojciech Wrochna, told journalists that Warsaw wants a full embargo on Russian crude by the end of the year, describing higher prices and competitiveness risks as a necessary cost of energy independence from Moscow. EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen did not respond to the Baltic appeal during the closed session, but later said Europe was likely to avoid jet fuel shortages this summer. He cautioned that even if a durable ceasefire is reached, normalising oil markets would take months and gas markets several years, partly because infrastructure damage in countries such as Qatar has impaired production capacity.

The EU’s internal debate on Russian oil has been shaped by the trajectory of the Iran conflict. The war, which began on 28 February, led Tehran to effectively blockade the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Brussels to pause work on an oil-import ban that member states had agreed in principle in late 2025. The memorandum between Washington and Tehran was intended to end hostilities and restore freedom of navigation, but within days both sides accused each other of violating the truce and exchanged strikes after an attack on a commercial vessel in the strait. Brent crude prices fell below $75 a barrel for the first time since February on hopes of a reopening, yet the security situation remains volatile. The EU has already legislated a full ban on Russian LNG imports from January 2027 and on pipeline gas from September 2027, a decision that Hungary and Slovakia are challenging in court.

Budapest and Bratislava are expected to resist any oil embargo, given their heavy reliance on Russian supplies. While individual member states cannot veto the measure, their opposition can complicate the political process. The United States has opened a parallel diplomatic track: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would discuss ending Russian energy purchases with both countries, describing them as active partners. The Commission has not indicated when it might reintroduce the oil-ban proposal. The dossier’s next steps depend on whether the Iran ceasefire holds and on the outcome of US engagement with the two central European capitals, which could recalibrate the balance of resistance inside the Council.