This chart shows why it was relatively easy for Joe Biden to cut petroleum imports from Russia, which make up only 7-8% of the US imports. Canada has become the largest single supplier in place of OPEC, consistent with the decades long effort to become "energy independent". What it does not explain is the profiteering going on at the pump. Biden should impose price controls to alleviate the predatory behavior of the oil companies.
The same embargo is not as easy for Europe, that imports large amounts of Russian oil and gas, especially gas. [chart below] Poland, to its credit, has slapped an import ban on Russian petroleum by the end of the year. The Polish president called it the "most radical in Europe" Its geographic proximity to Russia on a largely open plain, and previous occupation during WWII has a lot to do with its decision, but LNG imports and a new gas pipeline from Norway set to open by then also plays a role. Countries like Hungary and Germany need to follow Poland's example and the Baltic states' example. A European ban would accomplish two salutary ends: strangle Putin's war machine, and put the EU firmly on the path of reducing global warming caused by fossil fuels. After what happened in Bucha, European leader ought to have plenty of motivation to embargo Russia's most valuable product.
