“The United States should not support Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine by buying and importing Russian oil,” West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito said.
Moore Capito is a member of a group that includes Republican and Democratic senators that introduced Thursday afternoon a bill aimed at banning these imports, many of whom represent states known for oil production.
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that “nothing has been ruled out” about the possibility of stopping these imports. But the White House at the same time warned of the risks associated with such a decision, such as rising crude prices, which could harm American consumers.
“Our goal is that every step we take will have the maximum impact on President Putin and the minimum repercussions for the American people,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Thursday.
Nonetheless, the congressional group had the support of influential House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said at a press conference Thursday morning: “I support it, block her.”
Although no sanctions have yet been imposed on the Russian oil and gas sector, the Russian war on Ukraine pushed oil prices to their highest levels in more than a decade, while the price of gas reached new records.