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Biden bans imports of Russian oil
President Biden banned imports of Russian oil, gas and coal to the U.S. in response to what he called a “vicious war of choice” in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader. Biden warned Americans that the decision to inflict economic pain on Russia would inevitably mean higher gas prices at home. “Defending freedom is going to cost,” he said in televised remarks.
The ban was quickly followed by a British pledge to phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year and a declaration from the European Commission — the executive arm of the E.U., which is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas — that it would become independent of that supply in the coming years, moves that fell short of Biden’s immediate ban.
Major corporations around the world also began shutting down their operations in Russia yesterday. Shell, Europe’s largest oil company, said it would begin withdrawing from its involvement “in all Russian hydrocarbons,” and McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Pepsico and Starbucks announced that they would temporarily pause all operations in Russia.
Impact: Amid fears that the global supply of oil would shrink, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. surged to $4.173, a new high and an average increase of about 72 cents from a month ago.
Quotable: “If we do not respond to Putin’s assault on global peace and stability today, the cost of freedom and to the American people will be even greater tomorrow,” Biden said. He vowed to “do everything I can to minimize Putin’s price hike here at home.”
Zelensky vows never to surrender
With Ukraine’s outgunned army holding firm despite Russian bombardments, the war has become a grim spectacle of resistance. No one is more defiant than Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who vowed in a dramatic video address to Britain’s House of Commons yesterday never to give in to Russia’s tanks, troops or artillery shells.
“We will fight till the end, at sea, in the air,” he said, with the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag draped behind him. “We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.” He reiterated his plea for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, something NATO leaders have ruled out because they fear it could set off a wider military clash between the West and Russia.
Nearly two weeks into Russia’s war, it was becoming ever clearer that the Kremlin’s military planners had drastically miscalculated not only the grit of Ukrainian resistance, but also the calamitous economic consequences for Russia. For Ukrainians, however, the humanitarian disaster is intensifying by the hour, in the fastest-growing refugee crisis to afflict Europe since World War II.
On the ground: Photographers and videographers in and around Ukraine captured a resolute populace struggling with uncertainty and fear in the face of an invasion.
In other news from the war in Ukraine:
24 hours in a smugglers’ paradise in Afghanistan
In the desolate Nimruz Province of Afghanistan, which abuts Iran and Pakistan, smugglers have long dominated the economy, moving people, drugs and money across borders. Now, as hundreds of thousands of Afghans try to flee their Taliban-controlled homeland, business has flourished for the kingpins of the trade.
Reporters for The Times spent 24 hours with a leading smuggler, referred to only as H. because of the illegal nature of his business. His efforts to transport migrants into Iran showcased the frenetic atmosphere that has recently energized this southwest region of Afghanistan.
Fearing an influx of Afghans after the Taliban seized power, Iran bolstered its security forces at the border. The Taliban, too, have tried to shut down H.’s route, raiding safe houses and patrolling the desert. Still, smugglers are undeterred.
Quotable: “The Taliban cannot shut down our business,” H. said. “If they tighten security, we will just charge more and get more money. We’re always one step ahead.”
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Returning the Benin Bronzes
The Smithsonian Institution plans to return most of its collection of 39 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, a sweeping move that would punctuate a monthslong institutional review of its collection practices and the ethics behind them.
The bronzes encompass a variety of artifacts including brass plaques, carved elephant tusks, ivory leopard statues and wooden heads. Some were stolen from what is now Nigeria during the British Army’s 1897 raid on the ancient kingdom of Benin, though it is not clear exactly how many.
The Smithsonian has legal title to the items, but it plans to give up ownership and ship the pieces to Nigeria at its own expense. Some may remain in or return to Washington on a long-term loan.
“We’ve long been entirely comfortable that if we had legal title to an object, then certainly we were entitled to keep it and care for it,” said Kevin Gover, the under secretary for museums and culture at the Smithsonian. But now, he added, “we’re going beyond legal title and asking, Should we own this, knowing the circumstances under which it came into our ownership?”
Read more about the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes.
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