With President Joe Biden releasing 180 million barrels from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve — almost 1/3 of the supply — over the next six months, I spoke with Monocle 24’s Andrew Mueller on Friday about the domestic situation over energy and whether it will erode American support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
We discuss Biden’s calculations with respect to domestic politics and coordination with allies in Europe, as they consider whether to restrict purchases of Russian oil and gas amid Vladimir Putin’s war.
Listen from 7:55:
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has connected domestic issues in every country with an immediate international crisis.
The international community is facing the fact that if it supports Ukraine, if it puts sanctions on Russia — including sweeping sanctions on the energy sector — you’ve got to make preparations for the loss of Russian oil and gas.
Ukraine War, Day 38: Zelenskiy — Russians Are Withdrawing from Near Kyiv
EA on RTE and Times Radio: The Next Phase of the Ukraine War
And on the US domestic front, ahead of the 2022 mid-term elections:
The Ukraine crisis has exposed the divide in the Republican Party.
You’ve got the “establishment” Republicans, including those in Washington who are backing the Biden Administration to take a firm line.
But then you’ve got the Trumpists. And when you’ve got a guy named Donald Trump who says Vladimir Putin is a “genius”, when you’ve got certain legislators who continue to carry water for Russia, and when you’ve got Trumpist commentators like Tucker Carlson on Fox News who effectively is a Kremlin outlet….