French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said European Union members could reach a deal this week on the EU Commission's proposal to ban all oil imports from Russia.
"I think we could strike a deal this week," Beaune told LCI television, adding that French President Emmanuel Macron was due to talk to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban later in the day.
Hungary is the most vocal critic of this planned embargo on Russian oil.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday she had made progress in talks with Viktor Orban on this project. [nA5N2VD02J
(Reporting by Myriam Rivet and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
