Germany plans to stop importing Russian oil by the end of the year, even if the EU fails to agree on a pan-European ban as part of the next round of sanctions, Bloomberg reports citing officials.

Efforts to strike deals with alternative suppliers are ongoing and the government is confident it can resolve the remaining logistics issues within the next six to seven months, the sources said.

EU diplomats have proposed delaying a phased oil ban after Hungary opposed it, saying the move would hurt its economy too much.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government intends to advance its national plan as part of Europe's sanctions against Russia, officials say. The government did not say which countries would make up the shortfall.

According to the Economy Ministry, Russia's share of German oil consumption has already fallen to 12% from about 35% before the war in Ukraine.

The remaining challenges include obtaining enough alternative oil for a key East German refinery that is heavily dependent on Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline and is operated by Rosneft PJSC.

The refinery in Schwedt, which supplies fuel to Berlin International Airport, most filling stations in the capital and the nearby state of Brandenburg, will have to provide alternative supplies through the German Baltic port of Rostock.

German authorities have determined that the old pipeline connecting Rostock and Schwedt can be used, officials said, but its relatively small size means it can only cover about 60% of the refinery's total capacity at the moment. The authorities are working to pressurize the pump in the pipeline and upgrade the infrastructure so that more oil can flow into Schwedt.

The possibility of covering the needs of the Berlin airport in fuel at the expense of another oil refinery, possibly in Bavaria, is also being considered.