US bans Russian oil imports over Ukraine attack
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The United States is banning all imports of oil and gas from Russia, US President Joe Biden has announced on Tuesday, in a move that aims to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
"We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at US ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine," he told reporters.
He remarked that Ukraine will "never be a victory for Putin". Britain said it will also phase out Russian oil imports by the end of this year.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will meet her US counterpart Antony Blinken in Washington today to discuss what more can be done to help Ukraine and reduce energy dependency on Russia.
US intelligence chiefs branded Russian President Vladimir Putin an "angry," isolated leader craving global clout, frustrated about how his Ukraine invasion has not gone to plan and lobbing provocative nuclear threats at the West.
The United States rejected a Polish offer to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via a US airbase, saying the proposal raised "serious concerns" for the entire NATO alliance. Under the proposed scheme, those jets could then be deployed to Ukraine, while the Polish air force would receive F-16 fighters as replacements.
The European Union has announced 500 million euros for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, saying it had taken in two million refugees fleeing the Russian invasion so far and expected millions more.
International rating agency Fitch Ratings said it has downgraded Russia's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating to 'C' from 'B'.
McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Starbucks have suspended their operations in Russia over Moscow's internationally condemned invasion of Ukraine.
The BBC announced it was resuming English-language broadcasting from Russia, after suspending reporting as it examined tough new media laws. In a new statement, the corporation said it had "considered the new legislation alongside the urgent need to report from inside Russia".
The UN refugee agency UNHCR said the number of people to have fled Ukraine in eastern and central Europe reached two million on Tuesday, amid renewed efforts to create safe evacuation corridors from cities under attack.