Pro-Ukrainian demonstration in Los Angeles (USA), March 5, 2022. RINGO CHIU / AFP
Americans are increasingly considering extending sanctions against Russia to the energy sector. “I have spoken to the President and Cabinet about this,” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken explained on NBC Sunday, March 6. “Now we are in very active negotiations with our European partners to ban the import of Russian oil to our countries while, of course, maintaining stable global oil supplies,” he said, noting that “the actions we have taken to date have already had a devastating impact on the Russian economy. We see the ruble in free fall. We see the economy heading into a deep recession. We’ve already made a big impact.” After these statements, the price of a barrel of Brent approached $140 (about 129 euros), having increased by almost 20% since Friday.
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The pressure in Congress has been mounting throughout the week. Alaska Oil State Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said Thursday she supports the ban: “It’s going to hurt. But we must all recognize that Europe is now in the midst of a war with Russia. Innocent people are dying, children are dying. The senator is teaming with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of coal-mining West Virginia to push the ban through Congress. “The United States cannot continue to buy more than half a million barrels of oil a day because by doing so we encourage Putin to continue to use his greatest weapon of war, energy exports,” Mr. Manchin said.
Political turn
The “speaker” (speaker) of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi rallied to this proposal: “I completely agree, ban. Ban oil from Russia. “At the same time, specifying that she does not want a rise in the price of gasoline at a gas station, the topic is extremely sensitive with the approach of the midterm elections. That is why the White House was so reluctant at the start of the conflict. “We have no strategic interest in reducing the global energy supply. This will raise the price of pumps for the Americans and increase Putin’s profits,” Karine Jean-Pierre, one of Mr. Biden’s press secretaries, said on Wednesday. “Nothing is out of the question,” the President of the United States decreed.
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The case takes a political turn: Republicans accuse Joe Biden of punishing hydrocarbon production at the beginning of his mandate by declaring a moratorium on new drilling on federal lands. “President Biden should stop funding Putin’s war on Russian oil because he turned off American energy taps,” said Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise.
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