Italy can do without Russian gas, says energy minister

Rome has no reason to oppose EU sanctions targeting Russian LNG, Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin says.

Italy has emancipated itself from Russian natural gas and would have no problem with a proposed package of EU sanctions on liquified natural gas (LNG) that the European Commission is considering, Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said.

“Italy is right now in a condition to even do without Russian gas altogether," Pichetto Fratin told POLITICO on Friday as he prepared to host climate talks by G7 ministers in Turin starting this weekend.

Italy was one of the countries most dependent on Russian gas at the time of Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But it has been remarkably nimble at diversifying supply, with a pipeline from Algeria and an increased ability to import LNG. Shipments from Russia made up less than 5 percent of Italy's overall gas imports last year, down from 43 percent in 2020, according to official figures.