Ukraine , Kyiv , Ukraine gate ,9 , March , 2022-US President Joe Biden has announced a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas into the United States as Washington steps up economic sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine in an attempt to deprive it of revenue.
The move was matched by a UK phase-out of Russian oil imports, but the EU did not follow suit and instead unveiled a plan to cut Russian gas imports by two-thirds within a year. UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s government said it would phase out the import of Russian oil by the end of the year. Kwasi Kwarteng, UK business secretary, said the British government would organise an “orderly transition” away from Russian oil imports. But Rishi Sunak, UK chancellor, told a cabinet meeting that consumers would pay a price for the ban, with lower-income households particularly hard hit. The UK is less dependent on Russia than much of mainland Europe, with Russian supplies making up 8 per cent of overall oil imports into the UK. Johnson is expected to make a statement later this week on reducing British imports of Russian gas. Germany has resisted any EU prohibition on buying Russian crude. Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, said on Monday that he preferred to apply “sustainable” pressure on Moscow that would not impose too big a cost on German consumers. Developing alternatives to Russian energy, he said, “cannot be done overnight”. Biden said: “We’re moving forward this ban understanding that many of our European allies and partners may not be in a position to join us. But we’re working closely with Europe and our partners to develop a long-term strategy to reduce their dependence on Russian energy as well.”