Washington (AFP) – The US Congress voted Thursday to end normal trade relations with Moscow and codify the ban on Russian oil, as the White House ratchets up pressure on President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. The legislation — which also applies to Russia’s ally Belarus and enables President Joe Biden to inflict steep tariff hikes on imports — had passed the Senate unanimously before being rubber-stamped by the House of Representatives. Biden announced the steps in a speech last month arguing that Russia must “pay the price” for the bloodshed in its ex-Soviet neighbor, where …