Russia-Ukraine war: Biden bans US imports of Russian oil and gas | Russia-Ukraine war News
US president says move aims to put pressure on Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end deadly attacks on Ukraine.
The United States is banning all imports of oil and gas from Russia, US President Joe Biden has announced, in a move that aims to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday morning, Biden said the move targets “the main artery of Russia’s economy”.
“We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at US ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine,” he told reporters.
Rights advocates and other observers have called on the US and its European allies to sanction Russia’s oil-and-gas sector in response to the country’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, which has devastated major cities and forced two million people to flee the country.
Western countries, especially European nations that rely on Russian oil and gas for a large share of their energy needs, have hesitated amid fears a ban would cut them off from much-needed supplies and send prices skyrocketing.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
