War in Ukraine
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U.S. to ban oil imports from Russia as White House explores drastic plans to buffer economy from energy shock

President Biden acknowledged the pain higher costs were inflicting on Americans but said the U.S. and its allies had to isolate Moscow economically

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Updated March 8, 2022 at 10:14 p.m. EST|Published March 8, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. EST
President Biden on March 8 banned imports of oil and natural gas from Russia to penalize them for invading Ukraine. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)
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The United States and European Union took steps Tuesday to dramatically scale back imports of Russian energy, attempting to economically isolate the Kremlin following its invasion of Ukraine even if the moves lead to higher oil prices for millions of consumers worldwide.

At the White House, President Biden said he was banning all imports of oil and natural gas from Russia, effective immediately. The United Kingdom also announced a plan to phase out all Russian oil products by the end of the year.