On March 8, 2022, President Biden announced that his administration is banning all Russian oil, natural gas, and coal imports to the U.S. in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.[1] During the announcement, President Biden warned that the ban could lead to a spike in gas prices within the U.S. and said that he would work to mitigate the ban’s impact. Biden called on domestic oil producers to pump more oil to keep prices from rising. In the long run, he stated that the way to avoid high gas prices is to speed up the transition to clean energy.

Russia is the third-biggest oil producer in the world and is the third-largest source of oil to the U.S. Russia accounts for about 8% of imported oil and petroleum products. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), about 1% of Russia’s annual oil production is sent to the U.S.[2] In 2021, the U.S. imported an average of 209,000 barrels per day of crude oil and almost 500,000 barrels per day of other petroleum products from Russia, according to the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers.[3] Most of the other petroleum products are unfinished oils that are processed into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, among other products.

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/08/fact-sheet-united-states-bans-imports-of-russian-oil-liquefied-natural-gas-and-coal/

[2] https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/RUS

[3] https://www.afpm.org/newsroom/blog/oil-and-petroleum-imports-russia-explained