Ban on Russian oil and gas? Joe Biden says nothing's off the table
Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russian forces continued their brutal aerial attack on the seventh day of invading Ukraine amid unprecedented sanctions by the US and its allies in Europe on the Kremlin.
United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday said nothing was off the table when asked about whether his country would ban Russian oil and gas in response to the Kremlin’s military campaign in Ukraine.
According to the White House, it was balancing concerns with the global oil market and Americans' needs when considering whether to include the energy sector in the measures it had been taking against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.
Meanwhile, Russian forces renewed their brutal aerial attack on the seventh day of invading Ukraine amid unprecedented sanctions by the US and its allies in Europe on the Kremlin. From closed airspace to frozen assets, Western countries announced severe economic sanctions against Vladimir Putin, his relatives and inner circle -- and on the Russian economy.
Live updates on the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said more than 2,000 civilians were killed since the invasion, but an AP report said the figures could not immediately be independently verified. Also, neither had yet disclosed its military casualties.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city was pounded with balls of fire during the day, even as both sides said they were ready to resume talks aimed at stopping the fighting. However, a day ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said Russia should stop bombing before another meeting.
A refugee crisis was unfolding in the European continent, with the United Nations stating that more than 870,000 people had fled Ukraine and that the number could soon hit a million.
Zelenskyy has decried Russia’s attacks on civilian targets as a blatant terror campaign, while US President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not made to “pay a price” for the invasion, the aggression won't stop with one country.
(With agency inputs)