<Anchor>
The US has decided to ban imports of Russian oil and coal.
Europe, which is highly dependent on Russian oil, did not join.
Correspondent Kim Jong-won reports from New York.
[ Reporter
] President Biden has signed an executive order banning Russian oil imports.
[Joe Biden/President of the United States: The United States has decided to aim at the main financial line of the Russian economy.
All imports of oil, gas and energy from Russia are banned.]
The import of gas and coal as well as crude oil was decided to be banned, but President Biden said that Russia's ability to secure war funds would be severely affected.
The ban on Russian oil imports will also affect the United States.
President Biden stressed that oil prices in the United States have risen a lot since the outbreak of the war, and he will come up with countermeasures, saying that this measure will further increase.
[Joe Biden/President of the United States: I said that there is a cost to maintaining freedom.
Today's measures will be at the expense of the entire United States.]
This measure is the US' own sanctions, and European countries, which have been keeping pace with Russia's sanctions, have been omitted.
The US accounts for only 3% of all crude oil imported from Russia and does not import gas at all, whereas Europe relies on Russia for 40% of its gas and 25% of its crude oil.
[Randoff Bell / Senior Researcher, Atlantic Council, a think tank in the US: The US imports very little oil and gas from Russia.
So it's more of a moral declaration (rather than causing or inflicting an economic blow).
But if Europe does, it will have a very, very, very big impact on the economy.]
Biden emphasized that he is united with his allies in oppressing Putin, saying he understands countries that cannot join the sanctions.
However, there is also an analysis that this measure is only the beginning of Russia's energy sanctions, so there is a forecast that it cannot rule out the possibility that it will put pressure on Korea in the future.