The Biden administration has not decided whether to approve a possible ban of Russian oil imports, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.
“No decision has been made at this point about a ban on importing oil from Russia and those discussions are going on internally, and also with our counterparts and partners in Europe and around the world,” Ms. Psaki told reporters.
“The president is focused on ensuring we are continuing to take steps to deliver punishing economic consequences while taking all action necessary to limit the impact of prices,” she continued.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday the administration is talking to its international partners about coordinating a ban on Russian oil imports. He added that the discussions are focused on making sure there would still be an appropriate supply on the world market.
The economic sanctions Mr. Biden has imposed on Moscow to punish it for its invasion of Ukraine include carve outs for Russian oil.
Administration officials have argued that the carve outs are critical because otherwise the sanctions will send the cost of gasoline in the U.S. soaring and inflict harm on Russian citizens, not the country’s elites with ties to the Kremlin.
The Russian oil exemptions have angered lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Ms. Psaki’s comments came moments after House lawmakers announced they reached a bipartisan deal on legislation to ban Russian energy imports and suspend trade relations with Russia.
The legislation is expected to be approved this week.
Ms. Psaki said the White House has not made a decision about whether it would support the legislation.
The White House says that the U.S. last year imported about 700,000 barrels of oil per day, compared to 4.5 million barrels for the European Union.
Source:Washington Times
