The president of United States, Joe Bidenannounced on Tuesday the ban on US imports of “oil, gas and energy” from Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.
“It means that Russian oil will not be accepted in US ports.”Biden said in an intervention at the White House, where he stated that this measure has the support of both the Democratic and Republican parties.
He noted that they have decided to adopt this ban, despite the fact that many of the European allies are not in a position to join the measure: “The United States produces much more crude domestically than all European countries combined”he highlighted.
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In fact, he added, “We are a net exporter of energy, so we can take a step that others cannot, but we are working closely with Europe and our partners to develop a longer-term strategy to reduce dependence on Russian energy.”.
US imports of oil from Russia account for about 8% of the total, while in the European case it is 27%, according to official data.
Despite these words, Biden acknowledged in his speech that “defend democracy” in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is going to mean “costs” for Americans, referring to the notable increase in fuel prices recorded in recent days.
“Defending democracy is going to involve costs, and it is going to involve costs for us as well”warning.
In this regard, he announced that he will do everything possible to minimize the increase in energy prices in the US.
Biden listed a series of steps his administration has taken to this end, in coordination with allies, such as the release of 60 million barrels of crude oil from joint oil reserves, and warned oil companies that he will not tolerate benefit from the current situation by inflating prices.
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“We are approaching record levels of oil and gas production in the US.”he indicated.
Biden considered that this crisis serves as a reminder of the importance of the US being independent from an energy point of view.
“It should motivate us to accelerate the transition to clean energy”said.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was on Monday in favor of the international community approving the cancellation of Russian oil purchases.
The ban on energy imports from Russia by the US adds to the economic sanctions recently adopted against Moscow in coordination with European partners, including restrictions on the international operations of the Russian central bank and the suspension of certain banks Russians of the international SWIFT system.
