Well done to the White House on this one, writes TianatheFirst. 'The only question is whether Biden is ready to push our oft-inert allies into action or whether we here at home will be stuck paying the price alone.'
Maybe this belated import ban is too little, too late, but it is probably the best way of hampering Russia's war machine short of becoming directly involved and risking World War III.
Russian oil may comprise a mere 8% of American imports, but U.S. leadership in cutting it off might mean that we don't act alone. Biden can now go to NATO allies and the European Union, which has yet to ban Russian imports, with the moral authority to demand they do the same. On its own, U.S. purchases are just over 1% of Russia's exports. But combined with the EU, they make up half of Russia's export market.
In short, Biden has the chance for a political and practical victory here, the chance to call upon the Europeans to follow his lead and make an actual play for Putin's pocket without greatly increasing our odds of escalating the crisis into a world war.