The leaders of the United States, France, Germany, and Britain have vowed to further punish Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, the White House said on March 7.
But a ban on the import of Russian oil did not appear imminent despite mounting pressure from U.S. lawmakers to cut off the source of revenue for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government.
U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a videoconference call on March 7 and “affirmed their determination to continue raising the costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” the White House said in a statement.
But the statement did not mention the prospect of a ban on Russian oil and gas imports, which would be especially painful for Germany. Scholz said before the call that Russian energy imports were “essential” to Europeans’ daily lives, cautioning against banning Russian oil and gas as it could put Europe’s energy security at risk.
Biden has said “nothing is off the table” when asked if oil could be the next target, but White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that while discussions are ongoing, Biden has not made a decision.
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