EU proposes ban on all Russian oil in new sanctions on Moscow

The proposals need to be unanimously approved to take effect and are likely to be the subject of fierce debate

A Shell chemical plant is illuminated in Wesseling, near Cologne, Germany, on April 6, 2022. Picture: AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File

The European Union’s leader has called on the 27-nation bloc to ban oil imports from Russia in a sixth package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also proposed that Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, and two other major banks be disconnected from the Swift international banking payment system.