Jakarta –
President of the United States (US) Joe Biden responded strongly to the invasion Russia ke Ukraine, most recently, Biden formally ordered a ban on oil and gas imports from Russia. This US move was praised by Ukraine.
On the other hand, Russia asserted its invasion of Ukraine does not intend to overthrow the Ukrainian government.
As reported by the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, Wednesday (9/3/2022), Biden said the move was intended to pressure Putin into ending the war that started in Ukraine two weeks ago.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday (8/3) morning local time, Biden called the crackdown targeting “a major artery of the Russian economy”.
“We are banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. That means Russian oil is no longer welcome in US ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine,” Biden said in a statement.
This major trade move puts the US at the forefront as Western nations look for ways to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden’s move is also in response to a request by Zelensky, who is determined to resist the Russian invasion of his country.
In his response, Zelensky heaped praise on Biden’s move.
“Thanks to the US and the personal leadership of @POTUS (US President Joe Biden) in striking at the heart of Putin’s war machine and banning oil, gas and coal from the US market,” Zelensky wrote in a Twitter statement.
“Encouraging other countries and other leaders to follow,” he said.
In his statement, Biden also acknowledged that the US-imposed import ban will also have an impact on the American people. “Defending freedom requires sacrifice,” he said.
It is known that imports have been a glaring ‘omission’ in the barrage of sanctions imposed by Western countries against Russia. Energy exports have kept cash flowing into Russia despite strict restrictions on its financial sector.
“We will not be part of the effort to subsidize Putin’s war,” Biden said.
Biden also said the US was consulting closely with European allies, which rely more on Russian energy supplies and could not join the US immediately in this move.
But it is known that this week, the European Union committed to removing dependence on Russia as soon as possible. Meanwhile Britain, which is no longer part of the European Union, announced that oil and oil products from Russia would be phased out by the end of the year.
The announcement of a ban on oil and gas imports marks the latest attempt by the Biden administration to isolate Russia from the global economy and ensure that an invasion of Ukraine is a huge loss for Putin, despite his success in controlling Ukrainian territories.
“Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin,” he said.
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