As of: 03/08/2022 3:51 p.m
The US is apparently making good on its announcement and stopping Russian oil imports. This is reported by the US media. US President Joe Biden will officially announce the import freeze in the afternoon.
Apparently with an import stop for Russian oil, but also other energy raw materials, the USA wants to tighten sanctions against Russia in the Ukraine crisis. According to a report by the Bloomberg news agency, US President Joe Biden will shortly announce an import stop for Russian oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), but also for coal from Russia to the USA.
Confirmation expected in the afternoon
The decision was made after consultations with the European allies, according to sources close to the White House. The US government has not yet confirmed the information. The US President will speak at 4:45 p.m. German time, according to the government, measures are to be presented by which Russia is to be held responsible for the “unprovoked and unjustified” attack on Ukraine.
Chancellor against import ban to Germany
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Federal Economics and Climate Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) had previously spoken out against a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas to Germany. Unlike the USA, Germany is heavily dependent on imports of Russian raw materials. Russian coal is also used in Germany to a large extent for power generation. The US is much less dependent on Russian energy sources than Europe. Only seven percent of the oil imported by the USA comes from Russia.
On the commodity markets, crude oil prices continued to rise in the early afternoon. A barrel of the Brent variety, which is important for Europe, now costs almost 130 dollars.