The United States considered last Monday that a possible international embargo on Russian oil and gas should be seen “under another prism” than the rest of the sanctions adopted so far by Washington and its European allies against Moscow.
(Read: Russia and Ukraine: 5 scenarios of how the war could end)
“I will look at it in a different light than previous coordinated efforts” to adopt sanctions against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, citing Germany’s reluctance to ban imports of Russian oil and gas.
(You may be interested: Samsung suspends shipments of phones and chips to Russia due to invasion of Ukraine)
(Due to the public interest in the events between Russia and Ukraine, all of our coverage of that invasion and related actions will be freely accessible to all readers of TIME.)
Psaki insisted during his daily press conference on “the very different circumstances” that exist for Americans and Europeans in terms of Russian hydrocarbons. While Americans import little Russian oil and gas, some European countries, such as Germany, rely heavily on that market.
Psaki specified that President Joe Biden “hasn’t made any decisions yet” on potential unilateral action by the United States, at a time when Democratic and Republican parliamentarians are preparing a draft embargo on Russian oil imports.
The White House has been careful not to crack any more than necessary the almost perfect cohesion shown so far by the West on economic sanctions against Russia, as well as not to fuel US inflation, which is already rampant.
The issue of Russian hydrocarbons was raised on Monday during a video conference between Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, according to the White House.
The four leaders “affirmed their determination to further increase the costs to Russia of the invasion of Ukraineunprovoked and unwarranted,” according to the bulletin.
For its part, the French statement evoked “its determination to strengthen sanctions” against Russia and Belarus, while that of the British promised to “continue to pressure Russia.”
There is currently no other way to guarantee Europe’s energy supply for heat generation, mobility, electricity supply and industry.
However, the statement released in Berlin after the meeting did not mention sanctions and focused on concerns about humanitarian aid to besieged areas, which the leaders also spoke about.
On Monday, Scholz said Russian energy imports were “essential” for Europeans, warning that banning the import of Russian oil and gas as part of Western sanctions could jeopardize Europe’s energy security.
“Our country works with its partners inside and outside the EU to develop alternatives to Russian energy sources. But that is not achieved overnight. Therefore, it is a conscious decision to maintain the relations of companies in the energy field. Scholz said.
Biden is under mounting pressure from US lawmakers to cut Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government’s main source of income.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING*With information from EFE and AFP
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