US bans oil imports from Russia, Moscow announces ceasefire to open humanitarian corridor

In a speech at midnight on March 8 (Vietnam time), Mr. Biden announced: "We will ban all imports of gasoline and energy fromRussia. That means Russian oil will not be accepted at US ports, and the Americans will deal another powerful blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin."

The White House chief acknowledged that the decision would affect the American people in the context of escalating fuel prices and inflation pushing up the prices of other goods. Assuming that oil prices would increase, the US leader pledged to do his best to minimize the impact on the people. He warned US oil companies not to take advantage of the situation to make profits or increase prices.

According to anonymous sources,Mr. Bidendiscussed with several European allies measures to "isolate" the Russian economy before making the announcement.

According tonewsThe European Union (EU) has also pledged to draw up a new plan to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, CNBC reports. The European Commission wants to stop buying fossil fuels from Russia by 2030. And now, the agency has pledged to reduce its gas purchases from Russia by two-thirds by the end of this year. To achieve the goal, Europe will diversify its supply sources, increase hydrogen production and improve energy efficiency in households.

Meanwhile, Russia announced a ceasefire on March 9, starting at 10 a.m. (Moscow time) to open humanitarian corridors in Kiev and four other Ukrainian cities for people to evacuate. Reuters quoted a senior Russian official as saying that information about the corridors from Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol would be sent to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.