Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday revealed that the United States was engaging with its European allies on a potential ban on Russian oil imports, as the international community looks to inflict further punishment for its unprovoked war on Ukraine.
In a private Zoom call this weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emotionally appealed to U.S. lawmakers to impose even more crippling economic sanctions on Russia in an effort to end President Vladimir Putin’s assault on his country. Zelensky also urged America to target Russia’s oil industry, asked for more direct military aid, and pushed for the establishment of a “no-fly zone” over his country.
While the Biden administration had previously downplayed the possibility of sanctioning Russian oil to punish Putin, saying they “don’t have a strategic interest in reducing the global supply of energy,” Blinken was singing a different tune on Sunday.
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Interviewing the secretary of state on NBC News’ Meet the Press, anchor Chuck Todd brought up the White House’s reluctance to implement a total embargo on Russian oil, wondering if the administration’s mind had changed on banning imports.
“I spoke to the president and the cabinet—the leading members of the cabinet—about this just yesterday from Europe, and we are now in very active discussions with our European partners about banning the import of Russian oil to our countries, while of course at the same time maintaining a steady global supply of oil,” Blinken responded.
“The actions we’ve taken to date have already had a devastating impact on the Russian economy,” he added. “We see the ruble in free-fall. We see the economy heading into a deep recession. We’ve already had a major impact, but we’re looking—again, as we speak—in coordination with allies and partners at this prospect of banning oil imports.”
Blinken also noted that the United States has been in a “very active discussion” with Poland on supplying warplanes to Ukraine, which might include America providing the Polish government with U.S.-made jets, while Poland would send Russian-made planes to Ukraine.
In another appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Blinken reiterated that the administration was weighing the possibility of cutting off the Russian oil spigot.
“When it comes to oil, Russian oil, I was on the phone yesterday with the president and other members of the cabinet on exactly the subject, and we are now talking to our European partners and allies to look in a coordinated way at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil while making sure that there is still an appropriate supply of oil in world markets,” he told CNN anchor Jake Tapper.
