US President Joe Biden announced earlier this afternoon (8) the suspension of oil imports from Russia. Biden acknowledged that many allied countries, due to energy dependence, may not be able to take similar steps.
“The United States produces much more oil domestically than all European countries combined. In fact, we are also exporters, so we can take this measure, others cannot. We are also working with European partners to reduce dependence on Russian energy,” Biden said.
The US president also affirmed the support of more than 1 billion dollars of assistance for security in Ukraine in shipments of defense equipment and also humanitarian support, both for the Ukrainians who left and for those who are fighting in the country.
“We are implementing the most significant sanctions package in history that is causing significant damage to the Russian economy. the ruble [moeda oficial russa] dropped by 50% from the beginning of the war, the ruble is now worth less than 1 cent. We cut several Russian banks from the international financial system, which makes it difficult for them to transact with the rest of the world,” Biden said.
The American president also said that Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, is already hurting American families due to a rise in fuel prices. “Since Putin entered Ukraine, the price of gasoline has gone up 75 cents on the dollar. And I’ll do my best to keep it from going any higher. We are releasing 60 million barrels of oil. Half, 30 million, will come from the strategic reserves of the United States and we are taking other steps to ensure that the global energy supply continues,” Biden said.
In addition, the President of the United States stressed that Europe also has to end its dependence on Russian oil. He also said that the invasion of Ukraine should motivate the transition to cleaner energies, such as the use of electric cars, for example. “When we do that, nobody will be worried about the price of gasoline in the future. That will mean that one country will not be able to use gasoline prices against another country as a weapon.”
