WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Tuesday that the U.S. will ban the importing of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas and coal, broadening the economic sanctions leveled against Moscow over its war in Ukraine, an administration official said.
The decision to target Russia's most lucrative industry despite the likelihood of higher energy prices at home comes as bipartisan support in Congress was coalescing behind restrictions on Russian energy.
The White House had initially shrugged off calls to ban Russian oil, arguing that the impact on global markets would be destabilizing to the West. Administration officials had also said that deep economic sanctions were already hitting Moscow's biggest banks and several oligarchs close to Putin, weakening the ruble and the nation's economy broadly.
But Biden has clearly warmed to the idea as support grew from Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill for a bipartisan bill to ban Russian energy, even as some Democrats worried that they would pay a political price in November's midterm elections for public frustrations about high gas prices.
It is the first time the U.S. has gotten ahead of its European allies in sanctioning Russia. That could be because Europe relies far more heavily on Russian energy imports. The U.S. imports around 700,000 barrels of oil a day from Russia, accounting for less than 10% of the nation's energy supply. Europe, which has not yet banned Russian energy, is far more reliant on it, importing more than 4 million barrels a day.
