Kerry, who now serves as the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, made the comments at CERAWeek by S&P Global, an annual energy conference taking place in Houston this week after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the event in 2020 and forced it online in 2021.
"This is obviously a sobering moment for the world, with enormous challenges," he said. "President [Vladimir] Putin has undertaken an initiative that is illegal, unprovoked, profoundly dangerous and violates all the norms of behavior that we have all struggled to establish, globally, ever since World War II."
The U.S. is among a growing list of countries worldwide that have imposed historic sanctions on Russia since it invaded Ukraine in late February. The U.S. Department of Commerce last week imposed what it called the most comprehensive export controls ever imposed on a single country, cutting Russia off from exports of sensitive U.S. technologies such as semiconductors and microelectronics, computers and telecommunications equipment.
The White House has also taken other measures intended to degrade Russia's status as a leading energy supplier, targeting export controls against Russia covering oil and gas extraction equipment.
Calling Russia's attack on Ukraine — particularly the news coverage and imagery of women and children being attacked — a "horrible, grotesque assault on all of us," Kerry urged unity and patience.
"It is clear we need to do exactly what we are doing, which is stand up to it," he said. "There may be costs, and energy is turbulent right now. Volatility of price and supply and demand is something we're going to have to live with for a little bit here."
The price of oil briefly hit $130 per barrel hours before Kerry took the stage to open the energy conference Monday.
He praised the pressure the U.S. and its allies are focusing on Russia, saying the world is "going to have to come together."
"It's going to be tough, but I think in the end we will stand up appropriately, and lay the groundwork for rebuilding an even stronger world," he said. "That's what we all have to hope for and work for."
--Additional reporting by Alyssa Aquino. Editing by Alyssa Miller.
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