Russia widened its gas cuts to Europe on Tuesday with energy giant Gazprom turning off supplies to top Dutch trader GasTerra escalating the economic battle between Moscow and Brussels.

The European Union leaders have decided to ban almost 90 per cent of Russian oil imports by the end of the year following an agreement on the sixth round of sanctions against Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor has checked all the required items on the list to exit its joint ventures and projects in Russia as a result of the country’s attack on Ukraine.

Kazakhstan expects to produce 90-93 million tonnes of oil next year, up from 87.5 million tonnes this year, depending on when expansion projects at the giant Tengiz field are completed as they may be slightly delayed, its energy minister said.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has proposed a ban on all Russian oil imports, aiming to phase out Russian crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year.

Volkswagen, Europe’s top carmaker, is concerned about the impact a ban on Russian energy imports would have on its business, its CEO said on Wednesday, adding it was upgrading energy supply for its Wolfsburg factory to use alternative fuel sources.

Two Russian oligarchs were found dead this week alongside their family in luxurious homes in Russia and Spain, with the two cases discovered within 24 hours of each other.

Gas deliveries through the Yamal-Europe pipeline are set to come to a halt on Wednesday morning, officials in Warsaw said.

US president Joe Biden has announced his administration is banning all Russia-linked vessels from the country’s ports, effective April 28, 2022.