European Commission proposes ban on Russian oil imports in 6th sanctions package – European Commission president.

The European Commission deems it necessary to impose a full ban on the EU's imports of Russian oil as part of the pending sixth package of anti-Russian sanctions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

"We now propose a ban on Russian oil. This will be a complete import ban on all Russian oil, seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined," von der Leyen said.

"It will not be easy. Some Member States are strongly dependent on Russian oil. But we simply have to work on it," she said.

"We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimizes the impact on global markets," von der Leyen said. The EU will phase out Russian supply of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of 2022, she said.