U.S. Congress to 'explore' Russian oil ban, enact $10 billion in aid for  Ukraine this week -House Speaker Pelosi

[March 07, 2022]   WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said the chamber is "exploring" legislation to ban import of Russian oil and that Congress intends to enact this week $10 billion in aid for Ukraine in response to Russia's military invasion of its neighbor.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi gestures as she speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington March 3, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

"The House is currently exploring strong legislation that will further isolate Russia from the global economy," Pelosi said in a letter.

"Our bill would ban the import of Russian oil and energy products into the United States, repeal normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, and take the first step to deny Russia access to the World Trade Organization."

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation".

(Reporting by Katanga Johnson and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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