WASHINGTON DC: The United States has tightened its actions against Russia following the latter's invasion of Ukraine. US President Joe Biden has announced a ban on oil imports from Russia.

"We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas energy," Biden told reporters at the White House. "That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable in US ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war machine."

Biden has been working with allies in Europe, who are far more dependent on Russian oil, to isolate Russia's energy-heavy economy and Putin. Britain announced shortly before Biden's remarks that it would phase out the import of Russian oil and gas by the end of 2022.

Meanwhile, there are some disagreements among European nations about whether to ban Russian energy imports.