AUSTRIA
Karl Nehammer – Austrian Chancellor
EU sanctions won’t include embargo on the imports of Russian gas Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Tuesday. “The gas embargo will not be a topic, [German Chancellor] Scholz has made this clear as well. Russian oil is much easier to compensate for… Gas is completely different, which is why a gas embargo will not be an issue in the next sanctions package,” Nehammer stated.
EU
Josep Borrell – High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security
According to Borrell said the goal of the Russian oil ban is “for Russia to have less financial resources to feed its war machine.” The EU official also said that the bloc “cannot prevent Russia to sell their oil to someone else” but that Brussels is Moscow’s “most important client” and that it will have to lower its prices in order to redirect its exports elsewhere.
US
Joe Biden – United States President
The US President spoke before meeting Federal Reserve Chair Powell on Tuesday. Biden insisted the White House respects the central bank’s independence and added that Powell has stated the Fed has a “laser focus” on inflation. The US president added that the US needs to focus on the transition from recovery to steady growth.
