President Joe Biden has not taken energy sanctions ''off the table'' as pressure mounts to cut Russian oil imports amid the country's invasion of Ukraine under President Vladimir Putin, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
''They have serious financial problems on the ground in Russia that is impacting President Putin and the circle around him,'' Psaki told Fox News while discussing sanctions that have been implemented. ''What he also looks at, though, and we were very cognizant of, is minimizing the impact on the global markets and the American people.''
She added: ''So we have not taken options off the table, including the one you mentioned, but that is something the president looks very closely at.''
When asked about possibly puttingg the Keystone XL pipeline back under construction, Psaki said a ''wide range of options remain on the table'' to help minimize global energy dependence.
''This Keystone pipeline, it would take years for that to have an impact on prices,'' Psaki said. ''Obviously, there are a range of reasons why the president opposes it, but it wasn't functioning, isn't functioning. It would take years. There are also 9,000 approved oil leases that oil companies are not tapping into.''
Biden signed an executive order stopping construction of the pipeline on his first day in office. The pipeline would have pumped more crude from Canada to Texas refineries, aiding North American energy independence, but environmentalists and Native American groups opposed the pipeline.
''So, yes, we all want to take steps to address any raise in gas prices that impact the American people,'' she said. ''But we should be very clear about what policies will help and what policies will not help.''
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