EU lawmakers and member states reached a deal earlier on Wednesday on completely halting the Russian gas imports in a bid to choke off key funds feeding Moscow’s war chest.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, following the overnight deal, hailed it as “the dawn of a new era, the era of Europe’s full energy independence from Russia”.

Answering AFP’s question about the move, the Kremlin said the bloc was thereby “condemning itself” to more expensive energy sources.

“This will only accelerate the process that has been underway in recent years of the European economy losing its leading potential,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The EU accord marks a compromise between the member states and the European Parliament, which wanted the ban to take effect sooner.

Under the deal, long-term pipeline contracts – considered the most sensitive because they can run for decades – will be banned from Sept 30, 2027, provided storage levels are sufficient, and no later than Nov 1, 2027.

The EU moved to wean itself off Russian oil in 2022 but granted exemptions to two landlocked countries: Hungary and Slovakia.