Biden to ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war, source says
By ZEKE MILLER, MIKE BALSAMO and JOSH BOAK, Associated Press
Posted:
Updated:
Adam Schultz/The White House via AP
In this image provided by the White House, President Joe Biden listens during a secure video call with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Situation Room at the White House Monday, March 7, 2022, in Washington.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia’s economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The move follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to U.S. and Western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission in the massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion. Energy exports have kept a steady influx of cash flowing to Russia despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector.
Biden was set to announce the move as soon as Tuesday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before his remarks. The White House said Biden would announce “actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.”
The U.S. will be acting alone, but in close consultation with European allies, who are more dependent on Russian energy supplies. European nations have said they plan to reduce their reliance on Russia for their energy needs, but filling the void without crippling their economies will likely take some time. Natural gas from Russia accounts for one-third of Europe’s consumption of the fossil fuel. The U.S. does not import Russian natural gas.
Biden had explained his reluctance to impose energy sanctions at the outset of the conflict two weeks ago, saying that he was trying “to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump.” Full story here:
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PHOTO GALLERY
Sergei Grits
Refugees fleeing the war from neighbouring Ukraine arrive at the border crossing in Palanca, Moldova, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Sergei Grits
Refugees fleeing the war from neighbouring Ukraine arrive at the border crossing in Palanca, Moldova, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Visar Kryeziu
Refugees wrapped in thermal blanket wait in a crowd for transportation after fleeing from the Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine. Previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscow’s armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Visar Kryeziu
Refugees warm up inside a plastic tent after fleeing from the Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine. Previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscow’s armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Visar Kryeziu
Refugees wait in a crowd for transportation after fleeing from the Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine. Previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscow’s armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Darko Vojinovic
Australian-Hungarian volunteers Tamas and Ilona Marghescu prepare traditional Hungarian meat stew for Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Zahony, Hungary, Sunday, March 6, 2022. Tamas and Ilona said that as children of refugees themselves, they feel a responsibility to help. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Markus Schreiber
A woman wraps herself in a blanket to keep warm as she waits in a crowd of refugees after fleeing from the Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians attempting to flee to safety Sunday were forced to shelter from Russian shelling that pummeled cities in Ukraine’s center, north and south. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Markus Schreiber
Refugees, mostly women and children, wait in a crowd for transportation after fleeing from the Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians attempting to flee to safety Sunday were forced to shelter from Russian shelling that pummeled cities in Ukraine’s center, north and south. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Markus Schreiber
Refugees wait in a crowd for transportation after fleeing from the Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians attempting to flee to safety Sunday were forced to shelter from Russian shelling that pummeled cities in Ukraine’s center, north and south. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Daniel Cole
Refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, form a line as they approach the border with Poland in Shehyni, Ukraine, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Daniel Cole
The faces of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine are illuminated by the light from a smartphone as they join a line approaching the border with Poland in Shehyni, Ukraine, Sunday, March 6, 2022. The number of Ukrainians forced from their country increased to 1.5 million and the Kremlin's rhetoric grew, with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Daniel Cole
A coach driver watches as refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, form a line as they approach the border with Poland in Shehyni, Ukraine, Sunday, March 6, 2022. The number of Ukrainians forced from their country increased to 1.5 million and the Kremlin's rhetoric grew, with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Daniel Cole
A refugee walks along the road approaching the border with Poland in Shehyni, Ukraine, Sunday, March 6, 2022. The number of Ukrainians forced from their country increased to 1.5 million and the Kremlin's rhetoric grew, with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Daniel Cole
Refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, form a line as they approach the border with Poland in Shehyni, Ukraine, Sunday, March 6, 2022. The number of Ukrainians forced from their country increased to 1.5 million and the Kremlin's rhetoric grew, with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Darko Vojinovic
Refugees that fled Ukraine from the war arrive at the train station in Zahony, Hungary, Sunday, March 6, 2022. The number of Ukrainians forced from their country increased to 1.5 million and the Kremlin's rhetoric grew, with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy. He likened the West's sanctions on Russia to "declaring war." (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Alberto Pezzali
A demonstrator holds a placard saying 'Refugees always welcome' during an anti-war march, in London, Sunday, March 6, 2022. On Day 11 of Russia's war on Ukraine, Russian troops shelled encircled cities, and it appeared that a second attempt to evacuate civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol had failed due to continued violence. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Andreea Alexandru
Refugees who fled the Russian invasion from neighbouring Ukraine are reflected in the golden ceiling of a ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter at a 4-star hotel & spa, in Suceava, Romania, Friday, March 4, 2022. At 4-star hotel & spa some 50 km from the border with Ukraine, wedding parties and conferences have been canceled and the ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter where those who have escaped the Russian invasion come to rest and warm up before continuing their journey. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Andreea Alexandru
A man sits next to piles of chairs that have been moved to accommodate refugees who fled the Russian invasion from neighbouring Ukraine, inside a ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter at a 4-star hotel & spa, in Suceava, Romania, Friday, March 4, 2022. At 4-star hotel & spa some 50 km from the border with Ukraine, wedding parties and conferences have been canceled and the ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter where those who have escaped the Russian invasion come to rest and warm up before continuing their journey. AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Andreea Alexandru
Refugees who fled the Russian invasion from neighbouring Ukraine sit inside a ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter at a 4-star hotel & spa, in Suceava, Romania, Friday, March 4, 2022. At 4-star hotel & spa some 50 km from the border with Ukraine, wedding parties and conferences have been canceled and the ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter where those who have escaped the Russian invasion come to rest and warm up before continuing their journey. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Andreea Alexandru
A child refugee who fled the Russian invasion from neighbouring Ukraine with his mother and grandmother plays with a yellow ballon as he sits on a mattress inside a ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter at a 4-star hotel & spa, in Suceava, Romania, Friday, March 4, 2022. At 4-star hotel & spa some 50 km from the border with Ukraine, wedding parties and conferences have been canceled and the ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter where those who have escaped the Russian invasion come to rest and warm up before continuing their journey. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Andreea Alexandru
A refugee who fled the Russian invasion from neighbouring Ukraine comforts her dog as they sit in a ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter at a 4-star hotel & spa, in Suceava, Romania, Friday, March 4, 2022. At 4-star hotel & spa some 50 km from the border with Ukraine, wedding parties and conferences have been canceled and the ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter where those who have escaped the Russian invasion come to rest and warm up before continuing their journey. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Visar Kryeziu
A woman hugs a child as refugees, mostly women with children, arrive at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Visar Kryeziu
Refugees, mostly women with children, rest inside a tent after arriving at the border crossing, in Medyka, Poland on Sunday, March 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Andreea Alexandru
A refugee fleeing the conflict from neighbouring Ukraine enters a tent at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania, Saturday, March 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
