The United States said on Monday that a possible international embargo on Russian oil and gas should be viewed “in a different light” than the rest of the sanctions adopted so far by Washington and its European allies against Moscow.
“I will look at this in a different light than previous coordinated efforts” to adopt sanctions against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in the face of Germany’s reluctance to ban oil imports. and Russian gas.
Psaki insisted during his daily press conference on the “very different circumstances” that exist for Americans and Europeans in terms of Russian hydrocarbons.
While the Americans import little Russian oil and gas, some European countries, such as Germany, rely heavily on this market.
Psaki specified that President Joe Biden “has not yet made any decision” on possible unilateral action by the United States, as Democratic and Republican lawmakers prepare a draft embargo on Russian oil imports.
The White House has been careful not to push the near-perfect cohesion shown so far by the West in economic sanctions against Russia too much, as well as not to fuel inflation in the United States, which is already rampant.
The issue of Russian hydrocarbons was raised on Monday during a videoconference 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 unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” according to the bulletin.
In turn, the French statement evoked “its determination to strengthen sanctions” against Russia and Belarus, while the British one pledged to “continue to put pressure on Russia”.
However, the statement released in Berlin after the meeting made no mention of sanctions and focused on concerns about humanitarian aid to besieged areas in Ukraine.
On Monday, Scholz said energy imports from Russia were “essential” for Europeans, warning that a ban on Russian oil and gas imports as part of Western sanctions could compromise Europe’s energy security.
Biden is under increasing pressure from US lawmakers to cut off the main source of income for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government.
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