The COVID-19 pandemic and Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Russia are to blame for inflation and high gas prices, President Joe Biden told a gathering of local Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., but a surge in federal spending is not.

Biden gave the remarks at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference in D.C., telling the audience that gas prices had risen $1.05 a gallon since Russian forces first gathered on the Ukrainian border last fall, while pandemic-related restrictions led to a stifled supply chain.

Recommended Stories

Biden releasing nearly one-third of US oil reserves to combat inflation

White House expects inflation will ‘substantially’ increase in coming months

Biden tries to thread needle in Ukraine