US President Joe Biden announced that the USA banned oil and natural gas imports from Russia and stated that the USA took the decision in close consultation with its allies. “We are banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine. We made this decision in close consultation with our allies and our partners around the world particularly in Europe because a united response to Putin’s aggression has been my overriding focus to keep our allies united,” Biden said.
Biden stated that some European allies could not make the same move due to their dependence on Russian oil. “We are moving forward this ban understanding that many of our European allies and allies and partners may not be in a position to join us. We are a net exporter of energy so we can take this step when others cannot, but we are working closely with Europe and our partners to develop a long-term strategy to reduce their dependence on Russian energy as well,” he added.