The president of the USA, Joe Bidendid not rule out this Wednesday vetoing US imports of Russian oil, and accused Russia of deliberately attacking the areas where civilians reside in Ukraine.
“Nothing is off the table” Biden said in response to a reporter’s question regarding the possibility of banning Russian crude imports, before leaving the White House for Wisconsin.
Barely 7% of US imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products came from Russia in 2020, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The United States gets most of its oil from Canada and Mexico, and also imports smaller amounts of oil. Saudi Arabia, Colombia or Iraq, according to the EIA.
However, oil prices have already risen in the United States due to the refusal of some refiners to buy crude from Russia for fear of US sanctions, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russian oil sanctions
The White House has promised to minimize the impact of its restrictions on Russia on global energy markets and in the pockets of American consumers, but does not rule out imposing sanctions on Russian oil and gas, according to Biden’s spokeswoman, Jen Psaki.
“We are considering it. It’s on the table, but we have to consider what the impact would be,” Psaki said Wednesday in an interview with MSNBC.
In his statements to the press, Biden also responded with a “it is clear that they do” to the question whether Russia is deliberately attacking areas of Ukraine where there is a large civilian population.
However, he assured that “early to tell” if Russia is committing war crimes.
Asked if the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, should leave the country, she said: “I think it’s a decision for him to make, and we’re doing everything we can to help him.”
He added, with traces of ashes on his forehead, that the Cardinal of Washington, Wilton Gregory, had visited him this Wednesday on the occasion of Ash Wednesday and that both had “prayed for the people of Ukraine”.
