Bipartisan calls for Russian oil ban meet resistance from White House

Bipartisan calls grew on Capitol Hill for the United States to ban imports of oil from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Bipartisan calls are growing on Capitol Hill for the United States to ban imports of oil from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, but the White House stopped short of an outright ban -- and experts said the impact would be limited.

The United States and other Western nations have imposed an unprecedented raft of sanctions on Russia, but they have created exceptions for the oil and gas sector -- from which the Russian government derives much of its income -- because of fears cutting off the supply would drive up energy prices around the world.

But Republican members of Congress have for weeks been calling for a ban on imports of Russian crude oil and petroleum products, saying it would kneecap Russian President Vladimir Putin more than the Biden administration's sanctions have so far.

"Putin's major source of revenue is selling oil and gas and Biden's given an exception," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday. "You can continue getting billions of dollars to fund the invasion of Ukraine."