One of the intended outcomes of Russia's war in Ukraine is to dissolve European unity on energy policy, analysts say, but the unity is so far holding firm.
Russia invaded Ukraine six months ago. In that time, thousands of people have been killed, cities destroyed, millions of people displaced and the Ukrainian economy has been battered.
The international trade dispute has drawn widespread condemnation and threatened to disrupt the relative peace in Northern Ireland since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Belfast.
Pipeline deliveries, which are critical to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, won't be affected by the ban. The much more complicated issue of Russian natural gas remains unresolved.
The move has to be adopted unanimously, and Hungary — with a state oil company dependent on Russian imports and a populist leader friendlier toward Putin than most — has refused to go along.
