EU proposes ban on coal imports from Russia

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said more pressure needs to be brought to bear on Russia (Jess J Mitchell/PA)

The European Union has proposed a ban on coal imports from Russia in what would be the first sanctions targeting the country’s lucrative energy industry over its war in Ukraine.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU needed to increase the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin after what she described as “heinous crimes” carried out around Kyiv, with evidence that Russian troops may have deliberately killed Ukrainian civilians.