Secretary Antony J. Blinken warns Russia of more sanctions
After US President Joe Biden announced a ban on oil imports from Russia, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken asserted that the US would continue to impose the cost of the war chosen by Moscow.
Blinken stressed on Tuesday that “Washington is committed to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
It is noteworthy that in the harshest measure taken by his administration so far to punish Moscow for its attack on Ukraine, Biden announced earlier Tuesday a ban on oil imports from Russia.
Biden said in a speech at the White House: “We will ban all imports of oil, gas, and energy. This means that Russian oil will no longer be accepted in US ports and the people will deal another strong blow to Vladimir Putin.”
He added that the decision to ban was taken “in close coordination” with US allies, adding: “We will not contribute to supporting Putin’s war.”
This comes at a time when Europe refuses to impose a ban on Russian imports, which provide 40% of its natural gas needs and 30% of oil. However, the US is a net energy exporter, which means it produces more oil and gas than it needs to consume, according to Biden.
Russian oil accounts for 8% of US imports and 4% of the consumption of oil derivatives in the US, which does not import Russian gas.
It is noteworthy that the Russian military operation launched by the Kremlin on Ukrainian soil on February 24 entered its fourteenth day today amid an unprecedented security alert in Europe, drawn from the atmosphere of World War II, according to what more than one European official recently reported.
Those Russian attacks included a large-scale sanctions campaign against Moscow, amounting to more than 500 penalties.