Using Energy Sanctions to Hit Putin Will Be Hard
Europe can’t ban Russian energy imports as easily as the U.S. can, but it should start planning for it immediately.
Biden takes another step on sanctions.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images
President Joe Biden’s announcement that the U.S. will ban imports of Russian fossil fuels significantly escalates the response to Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war on Ukraine. The move is warranted. The U.S. and its allies should do all they can to pile on the economic pressure — and the biggest weakness in their sanctions policy to this point has been the failure to stop the flow of hard currency in payment for Russian energy.
Acting by itself, though, the U.S. can only do so much. Unlike many of its European allies, it doesn’t buy much energy from Russia. Throttling Russian fossil-fuel exports means Europe must curb demand and find alternative supplies — a difficult step, but a necessary one if the new restrictions are going to have their intended effect.