The European Union's executive branch 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 Tuesday that the EU needed to increase the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin after what she described as the “heinous crimes” carried out around Kyiv.
Von der Leyen said the ban on coal imports is worth 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion) per year. She added that the EU has already started working on additional sanctions, including on oil imports.
Von der Leyen didn't mention natural gas. A consensus among the 27 EU member countries on targeting gas that's used to generate electricity and heat homes would be more difficult to secure.
The EU gets about 40% of its natural gas from Russia and many EU countries, including Germany — the bloc's largest economy — are opposed to cutting off gas imports.
