The European Commission has proposed a total ban on the import of Russian oil by the end of the year

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on May 4 that the European Commission submitted a proposal for the sixth round of sanctions against Russia on the same day, including a complete ban on the import of Russian oil
by the end of this year.

The European Parliament held a plenary session in Strasbourg, France, on the
same day.
Von der Leyen said at the meeting that when the leaders of EU member states met in March, they agreed to gradually move away from Russia's dependence on
energy.
The last round of sanctions involved Russian coal, and the new round of sanctions will solve the EU's dependence on Russian oil
.

Von der Leyen said the European Commission's proposal to ban the import of Russian oil is a comprehensive import ban on Russian oil, "whether transported by sea or pipeline, whether it is crude oil or refined oil"
.
The EU will phase out Russian crude oil within six months and Russian refined oil
products by the end of this year.

The new round of sanctions against Russia also includes excluding Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, and two other large banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Communication (SWIFT) system, and banning the news and information products of three Russian state media from landing and disseminating
in the EU in any form.

Under EU rules, a proposal by the European Commission requires the unanimous consent of the 27 member states to enter into force
.
Von der Leyen acknowledged that the proposal would not be easy
to pass because some member states were highly dependent on Russia for energy.