Whereas a handful of U.S. states have already taken steps to ban gross sales of Russian vodka from market cabinets following Russia's invasion of Ukraine final week, some federal lawmakers at the moment are equally calling for the U.S. to halt imports of Russian oil, one other of the Jap European nation's invaluable commodities.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 raised issues all over the world in regards to the potential for disruptions to grease manufacturing and distribution, which in flip led to cost will increase at fuel pumps throughout the U.S. Nationwide common costs for a single gallon of standard unleaded fuel elevated by almost 9 cents over the past week, and a few specialists have prompt the nationwide common may attain $4 per gallon by April or Could if the abroad army battle continues.

Russia, one of many world's largest producers of oil, contributed an estimated 11 % of the overall oil produced across the globe in 2020. Russia is one of many high sources from which the U.S. receives imported oil, with an estimated 7 % of petroleum merchandise within the U.S. coming from Russia in 2020, in accordance with knowledge compiled by the U.S. Vitality Info Administration (EIA).

Russian oil imports U.S.
Lawmakers have begun calling for the U.S. to halt Russian oil imports within the wake of the nation's invasion of Ukraine. Above, a buyer pumps fuel into their car at a Shell station on November 22, 2021, in Miami, Florida.Joe Raedle/Getty Photographs

U.S. oil imports from Russia have fluctuated over time, with EIA knowledge displaying some years throughout the mid Nineteen Nineties when 800,000 barrels or fewer had been imported from Russia in a single 12 months. Import volumes have elevated over time, with an estimated 245,194,000 whole barrels imported from Russia final 12 months. A Newsweek evaluation of EIA knowledge discovered the U.S. imported a each day common simply shy of 200,000—about 198,000—barrels of crude oil from Russia final 12 months.

EIA knowledge exhibits U.S. imports of Russian oil via December 2021. A spokesperson for the EIA advised Newsweek the company doesn't have estimates for a way a lot oil the U.S. is predicted to import from Russia in March.

In response to spiking fuel costs, the Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA) on Tuesday introduced that its 31 member nations plan to launch 60 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves, with half of these coming from the U.S. The IEA stated it deliberate to share suggestions within the days forward for nations which are extra depending on Russian oil. White Home press secretary Jen Psaki stated the U.S. would equally "proceed our efforts to speed up diversification of vitality provides away from Russia and to safe the world from Moscow's weaponization of oil and fuel."

On Tuesday, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts went a step additional by saying he intends to introduce laws geared toward blocking the U.S. from importing Russian oil totally.

"We can't cease Putin with Russia's fuel in our vehicles," Markey stated in an announcement launched by his workplace on Tuesday. "Our world dependancy to grease retains us locked into harmful cycles of battle and corruption, however we are able to select a cleaner path to peace. By eliminating our dependancy to Russian oil, we are able to construct a pathway to a extra affluent and peaceable future, free from reliance on soiled oil and pure fuel."