NEW: Gunvor said it was retracting its offer to buy the international assets of Russia's Lukoil's after the U.S. said it would "never" approve the deal. It slammed the U.S. Treasury as "fundamentally misinformed" for branding it the "Kremlin's puppet." www.politico.eu/article/dona...

NATO chief Mark Rutte today played down a U.S. decision to withdraw hundreds of troops from Romania, just as the alliance grapples with increasing numbers of suspected Russian hybrid attacks. “This happens all the time,” Rutte told POLITICO at a press conference. www.politico.eu/article/nato...

NEW: Bulgaria is exploring requesting an exemption to new U.S. sanctions against Lukoil, according to two people familiar with the matter, as it fears the measures will cause severe fuel shortages and a populist backlash across the country. www.politico.eu/article/bulg...

EU countries are considering postponing imposing higher taxes on gas, electricity and other fuels by an extra year as they seek a deal on the bloc’s revamped energy tax rules. pro.politico.eu/news/207592

NEW: Donald Trump’s surprise move to sanction Russia’s largest oil companies won’t paralyze Russia’s war machine — but it could help the EU quit Moscow’s oil for good. For Lukoil in particular, it will be “catastrophic,” said one former exec. w/@evahartog.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/dona...

NEW: A requirement asking EU countries to track Russian gas cargoes before they enter the bloc will likely remain part of Brussels’ ban on Moscow's imports. Despite pushback from France among others, the final country negotiation document keeps that requirement in place. pro.politico.eu/news/206691

Pressure is growing on NATO countries to join the organisation's arms-buying program for Ukraine, after a majority of allies on Wednesday said they were backing the scheme backed by U.S. President Donald Trump. www.politico.eu/article/pres...

NATO defense ministers meet today, as the alliance strains to protect its skies after recent airspace violations. A key issue to resolve: whether national rules are stopping NATO’s top military officer from effectively tackling these aerial threats. www.politico.eu/article/nato...

EU ambassadors today failed to finalize their position on Brussels’ landmark plan to end imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027 after persisting technical concerns over the text. w/ @gabrielgavin.bsky.social pro.politico.eu/news/206123

The Shadow Fleet shipping Russia's oil is already leaving trails of oil in its wake, raising the question of who will pay up if the worst is to happen. Our latest investigation with @victorjack.bsky.social of @politico.eu, using data from @skytruth.org. www.source-material.org/shadow-fleet...

NEW: Russian-linked vessels are continuing to leak oil off Europe’s shores — despite Western sanctions — underscoring the continent’s inability to rein in Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet. Read our joint investigation with @source-material.org here: www.politico.eu/article/russ...

NEW: The European Parliament will push for an accelerated Russian gas ban by late-2026 and an end to Moscow's oil imports by the end of this year, per a provisional deal by POLITICO. pro.politico.eu/news/205873

What are NATO’s rules of engagement? How can they be changed? Why didnt NATO shot down the Russian warplanes last week? Read our explainer, with @victorjack.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/nato...

pro.politico.eu/news/205440 EU countries are considering easing reporting requirements for tracking Russian gas imports to the bloc as part of Brussels’ mooted supply ban, per a doc obtained by POLITICO.

The EU plans to propose sanctions on more Chinese companies this week, just as Donald Trump pressures the bloc to slap sweeping tariffs on Beijing as a condition for more sanctions on Russia. www.politico.eu/article/eu-c... w/ @camgijs.bsky.social @zimmerfrau.bsky.social @gabrielgavin.bsky.social

www.politico.eu/article/quit... If Donald Trump is going to slap sanctions on Russia, there are a few things he’d like NATO allies to do first. But meeting some of these demands will be easier than others. w/ @camgijs.bsky.social @zimmerfrau.bsky.social @gabrielgavin.bsky.social

NEW: EU countries are considering giving companies an extra six weeks to comply with an incoming ban on Russian gas, according to a negotiation document obtained by POLITICO. pro.politico.eu/news/204632

NEW: EU countries will discuss a proposal that casts doubt on a suggested 2026 deadline for the bloc to end short-term Russian gas contracts. pro.politico.eu/news/201485

NEW: The EU wants to ban LNG terminal services for Russian customers as part of its plan to end the bloc's reliance on Moscow, a draft text shows. pro.politico.eu/news/200349 w/@gabrielgavin.bsky.social

NEW: The EU's two biggest buyers of Russian liquefied natural gas are refusing to endorse Brussels' plan to ban Moscow’s imports. France and Belgium argue they need more reassurances on the economic and legal consequences of the move before making a decision. www.politico.eu/article/eus-...

NEW: EU countries are considering demanding that Brussels revisit methane emission rules being swept into trade negotiations with the U.S. That comes after Trump gave the EU a temporary reprieve from imposing blanket 50% tariffs on the bloc. pro.politico.eu/news/199309

NEW: EU countries are considering ordering the Commission to prepare a detailed impact assessment on its upcoming Russian gas ban. Despite a large majority of capitals backing the plan, Hungary and Slovakia remain fiercely opposed. pro.politico.eu/news/199022

The EU is planning to slash natural gas purchase targets — even as U.S. President Donald Trump insists that buying more gas is the only way to end his trade war. www.politico.eu/article/dona...

NEW: EU countries provisionally agree on loosening gas storage rules, per diplomats. pro.politico.eu/news/eu-coun...

Since 2023, the Baltic Sea has seen at least 11 subsea cables taken out by suspected sabotage. That poses a growing conundrum for EU governments in their evolving hybrid war with Russia — and experts warn it could just be the beginning. Reed our deep dive here: www.politico.eu/article/russ...

The EU Commission is considering revising landmark energy legislation as part of its drive to ease requirements on the EU’s struggling businesses, per two people familiar with the matter. That might form part of a future "omnibus" simplification package, they said. next.politico.eu/news/196281

ICYMI: At today's ENVI Council, France proposed introducing a "price corridor" into the EU's emissions trading scheme. They also suggested the EU do more to slash red tape and prevent "leakage" from its carbon levy with Slovakia and Italy. next.politico.eu/news/196254 next.politico.eu/news/196254

The EU is discussing a new plan that would harness Ukraine’s mammoth underground gas storage capacity to resolve a long-standing feud between Kyiv and Slovakia, per officials. But experts are skeptical it would work without subsidies. pro.politico.eu/news/195781

EU energy chief Dan Jørgensen needs more power to develop traditional nuclear plants in addition to next-generation small reactors. That's according to a draft statement from the bloc’s pro-atomic alliance seen by POLITICO. pro.politico.eu/news/195664

And now the backtrack: In a spectacular U-turn, the EU will present its proposal to extend mandatory gas-filling targets on Wednesday after all, according to a Commission official, reversing an earlier decision to postpone it to next month. pro.politico.eu/news/194984

The EU will likely postpone a proposal to extend mandatory gas-filling targets until Apr. 9, shelving its previous plans to unveil the plan on Wednesday. pro.politico.eu/news/194978

The EU will this week propose to keep targets for refilling winter gas storage facilities mandatory, according to two European Commission officials, including interim goals. That comes despite pleas by countries like Germany to make the goals more flexible. pro.politico.eu/news/194846

Germany’s social cohesion is at stake unless it restricts Chinese wind turbine imports, a government-backed analysis seen by POLITICO warns. Beijing could delay projects, harvest data and remotely shut down turbines if given access to wind farms, the report says. www.politico.eu/article/chin...

NEW: The EU's pro-nuclear alliance wants a greater role for atomic power in Brussels' upcoming green industrial plans, per a draft statement. Among other things, the 11 countries say they want EU support for industries signing long-term nuclear contracts. pro.politico.eu/news/194291

The EU is considering backing investments in overseas fossil fuel infrastructure and shifting to long-term contracts to cut the high energy prices damaging European industries, according to a leaked proposal seen by POLITICO.

...And a full draft version of the EU Affordable Energy Action Plan, now available for Pro subscribers here: pro.politico.eu/news/194232

SCOOP: The EU is eyeing new laws to fast-track grid upgrades, pump cash into long-term industrial energy contracts and even help with overseas gas investments. That's according to a draft of the EU's upcoming Affordable Energy Action Plan. w/@gabrielgavin.bsky.social pro.politico.eu/news/194189

Russia has threatened retaliation if the EU follows through on new proposals to grab more of its oil tankers in the Baltic Sea. The response comes after POLITICO revealed countries were considering new ways to detain Moscow's so-called shadow fleet. www.politico.eu/article/russ...

EU countries are holding talks on large-scale seizures of Russia’s oil tankers in the Baltic Sea, per diplomats and govt officials. That could mean using international law to grab vessels on environmental or piracy grounds, or imposing new national legislation. www.politico.eu/article/russ...

NEW: The European Commission expects gas prices to be higher this year on average compared to 2024, according to an internal assessment seen by POLITICO. That's a worrying sign for the bloc’s already ailing energy-hungry industries. pro.politico.eu/news/193312

Europe's Baltics are bracing for cyberattacks as they plan to decouple from a Soviet-era joint power grid with Russia and Belarus next month. Among other measures, that means restricting VPN accesses & installing new anti-drone protections. w/ @sgclark92.bsky.social pro.politico.eu/news/193157

NEW: The EU won't propose a ban on bloc-wide purchases of Russian LNG in its 16th sanctions package, two EU diplomats said. That comes despite the EU importing record volumes of the supercooled fuel from Moscow this month. w/ @koenverhelst.bsky.social pro.politico.eu/news/192991

NEW: As EU energy ministers scramble to break an impasse on power market reform talks today, Paris and Berlin have both circulated last-minute contrasting proposals. Negotiations have stalled for months due to a spat over subsidies for energy investments. pro.politico.eu/news/170205

NEW: Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson today refused to rule out hitting China with an anti-subsidy probe, one day before she heads to Beijing for high level talks. That comes just a week after the EU launched a similar probe into Chinese electric vehicles. pro.politico.eu/news/169809

NEW: EU energy chief Kadri Simson will visit China next week amid increasingly fraught ties between Brussels and Beijing. That comes as European solar and wind manufacturers beg for EU help as fierce competition with China brings them to their knees. pro.politico.eu/news/169667

NEW: EU countries are pushing for a new approach on green home renovations amid rising backlash to climate policies across the bloc, per internal documents and diplomats. Even the European Parliament, usually ambitious on green issues, is considering its options. pro.politico.eu/news/169645

Make sure to follow my POLITICO Europe colleagues on here too. So far we've got: Energy reporter @victorjack.bsky.social Sustainability reporters @l-guillot.bsky.social and @zimmerfrau.bsky.social Mobility reporter @hannecl.bsky.social