The European Union should be open to resuming Russian natural gas imports in the future if a peace deal is reached between Russia and Ukraine, an Austrian official said, as Brussels readies a proposal to ban Russian imports.

The EU must be open to resuming Russian gas imports in the event of a peace deal being brokered to end the war in Ukraine, Austria has said, despite a newly proposed EU-wide ban on Russia’s fossil fuel. Brussels “must maintain the option to reassess the situation once the war has ended”, the Austrian energy ministry told the Financial Times.

Austria called on the European Union to leave the door open for the return of Russian gas imports after the conflict in Ukraine is over, while Brussels suggested imposing a complete ban on all Russian fossil fuels.