President Biden to Ban Oil Imports from Russia

On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to announce a ban on imports of oil, natural gas and coal from Russia.

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"The president will announce measures to hold Russia accountable for its unwarranted war in Ukraine," the White House said, announcing an update to the presidential agenda that includes an intervention at 10:45 a.m. local time.

The ban on energy imports from Russia is a measure that would only be adopted by the United States since its European allies, which are much more dependent on Russian energy, have shown their reluctance in this regard.

Currently, while 8 percent of the oil consumed in the United States comes from Russia, 27 percent of the oil used in European countries comes from that country.

On Monday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asked again the international community to cancel all purchases of Russian oil. The U.S. ban on energy imports from Russia adds to the aggressive economic sanctions recently adopted in coordination with European partners.

Among these sanctions are restrictions on the international operations of Russia's Central Bank and the suspension of certain Russian banks from the international SWIFT system.

A week ago, while delivering his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Biden announced that the United States was closing its airspace to all Russian aircraft in response to Moscow's ongoing military operations in Ukraine.