In shift, Germany could back immediate EU ban on Russian oil

Germany said on Monday (May 2) it was prepared to back an immediate European Union embargo on Russian oil, a major shift from Moscow's biggest energy customer that could let Europe impose such a ban within days.

Russia's energy exports - by far its biggest source of income - have so far largely been exempt from international sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Kyiv says that loophole means European countries are funding the Kremlin war effort, sending Moscow hundreds of millions of euros every day.