| Updated:
European Union proposes total ban on coal from Russia in another £3bn blow to Moscow
The European Commission has proposed new sanctions against Russia, including an import ban on coal worth 4 billion euros (£3.3 billion) per year.
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 the “heinous crimes” carried out around Kyiv.
She said the ban on coal imports is worth four billion euros (£3.3 billion) per year. She added that the EU has already started working on additional sanctions, including on oil imports.
Ms von der Leyen did not mention natural gas. A consensus among the 27 EU member countries on targeting gas would be more difficult to secure.