On Wednesday, White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested that the Biden administration is not open to sanction Russia’s energy sector as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The administration declined to rule it out entirely but said doing so was not in US strategic interests, citing disruptions to the global oil supply and the effect it would have on gas prices.
“We don’t have a strategic interest in reducing the global supply of energy,” Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One, according to CNN.
Gas prices have consistently risen since President Biden took office, reaching a current price of $3.61 per gallon – an increase of roughly $1.19 since January 2021. Jean-Pierre explained that sanctions on Russian energy would further “raise prices at the gas pump for Americans,” which the White House is “very aware of.”
Jean-Pierre added that the Biden administration is planning to focus on impacting Russia’s energy status over time.
“We and our allies and partners have a strong collective interest to degrade Russia’s status as a leading energy supplier over time. That’s why we’ve been talking about diversification. That’s why we shut down Nord Stream 2. That’s why we’re helping to accelerate diversification for Russian gas. And that’s why we’re denying critical technology inputs that Russia needs to maintain its production capacity in oil and gas,” she said.
