Russia Says EU Plan to Permanently Ban its Oil is Mad

An aerial view shows Vladimir Arsenyev tanker at the crude oil terminal Kozmino on the shore of Nakhodka Bay near the port city of Nakhodka, Russia August 12, 2022. REUTERS/Tatiana Meel

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that only a "madman" could propose a permanent ban on oil imports from Russia, as planned by the European Union, Reuters reported.

The European Commission will submit a legal proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports on April 15, three days after Hungary's parliamentary election, according to EU officials and a document seen by Reuters.