United States President Donald Trump described the law banning the import of Russian energy products into the country as “probably quite bad.” He made the comment to reporters at the White House after being asked about a tanker carrying Russian diesel fuel to the United States.
The journalist recalled that the ban was introduced through a law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in 2022. Trump initially asked whether the reference was to the “Jones Act,” which regulates shipping between American ports. After it was clarified that the question concerned a separate law, the president said he would examine it.
“Oh, Biden’s? How are you even importing… Well, then this is probably quite a bad law. I’ll look into it. Of course,” Trump said.The law was passed in April 2022
The “Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act” was signed on April 8, 2022. It bans the import into the United States of products of Russian origin classified under Chapter 27 of the US tariff schedule. The scope includes crude oil, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, coal and coal products.
The measure was adopted after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was intended to limit the revenues Moscow receives from energy exports. Before the statutory ban, the Biden administration had already imposed restrictions through an executive order.
The dispute over Russian diesel
The issue once again found itself at the center of the US political debate after Trump announced in October that he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin on diesel fuel deliveries to the US and global markets. Trump said that Russia would immediately provide more than 300,000 tons, another 500,000 tons in November and larger quantities thereafter.
The agreement raised questions about whether the administration could authorize deliveries that appeared incompatible with the ban passed by Congress. Democrats and Republicans also expressed differing views on the issue, while some lawmakers called for additional oversight of the deal.
Sources: apnews.com, axios.com