The government wants to end the Netherlands reliance on Russian gas by the end of the year, replacing the supply by saving energy, better energy efficiency and imports from other countries, climate minister Rob Jetten said on Friday.

‘We no longer want to put money into Putin’s war chest,’ Jetten said after the weekly cabinet meeting. Nevertheless, he said, it would be a major challenge to end the Dutch dependence on Russian gas within nine months.

The Netherlands currently imports six billion cubic metres of gas a year. Increasing capacity at terminals in Rotterdam and Eemshaven will enable the country to import an extra eight billion cubic metres of liquid gas from other countries – although this will depend on availability, Jetten said.

Measures will also be taken to boost the volume of gas in storage in Bergen. The location is 40% owned by Gazprom, which has not used its capacity. The government will now offer incentives to other companies to use the location, Jetten said.

EU countries have agreed to stop importing Russian coal from August 11.

Mining minister Hans Vijlbrief also confirmed on Friday that the government has no plans to start using gas from the Groningen fields, which are currently being closed down, to replace Russian gas.