France sees a potential ban on imports of Russian energy into the EU as an option, its Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said over the weekend, adding that sanctions are hurting Russia and Vladimir Putin. “Should we in the immediate stop buying Russian oil, should a little bit further down the line we stop importing Russian gas? The president has never ruled out these options,” the French minister told LCI television in an interview on Sunday, as carried by Reuters . Some Western nations have already banned or committed to phasing out Russian oil imports by the end of this year after Putin invaded Ukraine at the end of February. The United States banned imports of Russian energy, including oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and coal two weeks ago, while the UK announced on the same day that it would phase out imports of Russian oil by […]