Belgium says it will defer a plan to phase out nuclear energy in the next few years in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Government officials reached the decision on Friday after deliberating over future energy polices. The government had planned to take all seven of its nuclear operators offline by the end of 2025.

It now plans to extend the life of two relatively new reactors by 10 years beyond that date.

The move comes as the European Union aims to cut its dependency on Russian energy supplies.

Belgium relies on Russia for about 30 percent of its crude oil imports.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says Belgium needs to break its dependence on fossil fuels, given the current geopolitical situation.

The leaders of EU member states agreed at a summit in France last week to aim to phase out Russian energy as soon as possible.

Germany, which has heavily relied on Russia for natural gas, has recently decided to build its first liquefied natural gas terminal.