Buckle up! Biden expected to announce ban on Russian energy imports

President Joe Biden is set to announce a United States ban on Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports, following the Russian invasion into Ukraine.

Biden is scheduled to speak at 10:45 am EST and will reportedly “announce actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.”

The administration had been at odds with the idea of banning Russian energy imports, claiming that it would skyrocket energy prices. On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed that Biden had not yet made a final decision.

“No decision has been made at this point by the president about a ban on importing oil from Russia,” she claimed, adding that conversations were ongoing with “counterparts and partners in Europe and around the world.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously urged those who condemn Russia’s invasion to boycott the use of Russian energy, including imported oil.

“It may be called embargo, but it also simply may be called a moral when you refuse to give money to a terrorist,” Zelenskyy announced, also calling for a potential ban of imports into Russia if they can’t “follow civilized rules, then they should also not be getting any goods or services from civilization.”