WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Cecilia Rouse, White House economic advisor, said Monday that higher gasoline prices are the greatest economic threat to the United States from Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The extent of their impact will be determined by the duration of conflict.

Rouse, the Council of Economic Advisers chair, stated that President Joe Biden is working with allies to reduce the effects of rising fuel prices. He also discussed the possibility of oil being released from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The length of the war will determine the impact on economic risk. Its impact will be smaller if it’s resolved quickly. Rouse stated that the longer the uncertainty continues, the greater it is.”

Rouse stated that the US and Western economic power imposed harsh sanctions against Russia. This effectively froze central bank reserves, and caused the value of the ruble to fall.

“The noose around Putin is getting tighter, in that he doesn’t possess the resources necessary to support war,” she stated.

Rouse spoke out about Biden’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. He said that Biden would present his economic vision, including the investment opportunities the United States requires, as well as the importance of supporting an inclusive democracy, in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Rouse spoke of Biden as saying that Biden is focused on the economic deferred maintenance. “Whether it’s physical infrastructure or human infrastructure, these are the kinds of investments that we believe we should be making to create and sustain sustainable economic growth moving forward.