WASHINGTON—Joe Biden campaigned on isolating the world’s autocrats, getting the U.S. out of foreign conflicts, weaning it off fossil fuels and building a more resilient economy.

The Ukraine crisis is now forcing President Biden to recalibrate how he tries to deliver on those promises.

He has rallied the West behind sanctions on Russia in an...

WASHINGTON— Joe Biden campaigned on isolating the world’s autocrats, getting the U.S. out of foreign conflicts, weaning it off fossil fuels and building a more resilient economy.

The Ukraine crisis is now forcing President Biden to recalibrate how he tries to deliver on those promises.

He has rallied the West behind sanctions on Russia in an effort to pressure President Vladimir Putin to end the war. But his decision to ban Russian oil imports is expected to contribute to high gasoline prices at home, further straining American families who were already dealing with inflation that hit another four-decade high last month. Mr. Biden’s push to shore up the world’s oil supply has involved overtures to authoritarian regimes with rich oil reserves like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela—and frustrated those on the left who see this as a moment to break away from fossil fuels, not encourage more production.

So far, Mr. Biden’s handling of Ukraine has been a relative bright spot for him in polls after months of poor marks from the public on the economy and inflation. In a recent Wall Street Journal poll, 50% of voters said they approved of how he has dealt with Russia and 44% disapproved. But some Democrats said they worry those numbers could fall if the war drags on for months and gasoline prices remain high. Sixty-three percent of voters in the Journal poll said they disapproved of Mr. Biden’s handling of rising costs.

As Mr. Putin continues his advance in Ukraine, some U.S. lawmakers and Ukrainian officials are urging Mr. Biden to become more deeply involved in the crisis, presenting difficult choices about how to punish Moscow and keep allies united without entering the conflict militarily. In addition, Mr. Biden and Democrats could face November’s midterm elections with high inflation and key parts of his agenda unfulfilled, such as bringing down costs of prescription drugs and expanding child care.

“He wanted to pivot to Asia and Build Back Better at home, and suddenly he finds himself pivoting to Europe and facing intense inflation and much more foreign entanglement than he bargained for,” said Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass, who worked in senior roles for President George H.W. Bush during the Gulf War and President George W. Bush during the war in Iraq.

President Biden announced Tuesday a ban on Russian oil imports into the U.S., amid growing calls from bipartisan lawmakers to take action. The U.S. will also ban imports of Russian natural gas and other energy sources, Biden said. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition

As Moscow escalates and U.S. officials warn that Mr. Putin could launch a chemical attack, Mr. Biden has stressed he will not send American troops into Ukraine to fight Russia. That decision has the backing of the majority of the public, with only 10% supporting sending troops in the recent Journal poll.

Lawmakers from both parties have urged the administration to move Soviet-style jets into Ukraine, and a group of former national security officials called for imposing a limited no-fly zone over the country’s airspace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made impassioned pleas for both measures.

Administration officials say those steps risk dragging the U.S. into direct conflict with Russia.

“The idea that we’re going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews—just understand, don’t kid yourself, no matter what you all say, that’s called World War III,” Mr. Biden told House Democrats Friday.

The fast-moving events in Ukraine have prompted the president and his advisers to make unpalatable choices that contradict stances taken during the campaign.

This week, senior administration officials made direct pleas to the U.S. oil industry to pump more oil from existing leases. “We are on war footing,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told oil-industry executives on Wednesday at a conference in Houston, adding: “And that means you producing more right now if and when you can.”

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

What choices would you like to see President Biden make around oil imports and fossil fuels? Join the conversation below.

Administration officials say they haven’t abandoned their longer-term goal of reducing U.S. reliance on fossil fuels and have no immediate plans to dramatically expand oil and gas drilling on federal land. But they say high prices necessitate an immediate response that requires more supply at home and abroad.

This week, Mr. Biden banned Russian oil imports into the U.S. after some in the administration initially resisted the idea. He acknowledged that the move would likely push up gasoline prices further, but said it was a necessary move to punish Mr. Putin. The Journal poll found 79% of Americans support banning the sale of Russian oil to the U.S., even if doing so raised energy prices at home.

Some close to the White House worry that sustained high gasoline prices would nonetheless be a major political liability ahead of the midterm elections, as voters feel the financial squeeze and Republicans zero in on prices at the pump and inflation. Democrats are defending narrow majorities in Congress, where much of Mr. Biden’s economic agenda remains stalled.

A ban on Russian oil imports could push up gasoline prices further, creating a potential political liability for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.

Photo: Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg News

Republican lawmakers have called on Mr. Biden to expand domestic oil and natural-gas production in response to high prices and criticized Democrats as putting too much of a focus on renewable energy, including the administration’s push in favor of electric vehicles.

“You couldn’t have an administration that’s more out of touch,” said Brad Todd, a GOP strategist. Pointing to the high cost of electric vehicles, Mr. Todd added that the approach from Democrats “reflects the fact that it’s the party of elites.”

Climate activists, many of whom backed other candidates in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary before reluctantly supporting Mr. Biden, said the administration should use the crisis to transition to cleaner energy sources, not call for more drilling. Mr. Biden has said climate change is an existential threat to the planet, and he has proposed halving U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

“This feels to me like it may be the last ‘choice point’ we get when circumstances allow the rapid transition that scientists have been urging for decades,” said Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, a group dedicated to stopping the use of fossil fuels world-wide. “Laying the groundwork for change that would protect the climate and undercut autocrats of all kinds seems essential.”

Mr. Biden, who attacked former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail for “embracing dictators,” has tried to make rallying democratic countries against authoritarian regimes a cornerstone of his presidency. But in seeking to contain gasoline prices, administration officials have recently reached out to Saudi Arabia and Venezuela—oil-rich countries that Mr. Biden had vowed to be tough on.

“Nicolás Maduro is a cancer to our hemisphere and we should not breathe new life into his reign of torture and murder,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) said recently of Venezuela’s leader.

The Venezuelan government didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The White House wouldn’t disclose how much oil it is seeking or describe progress of talks with other nations. U.S. officials also say their talks with countries like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia have often been focused not on oil but other geopolitical and security issues. Venezuela released two Americans from prison this week after recent diplomatic talks with the U.S.

Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.), a close ally of Mr. Biden, said although the conflict in Ukraine and rising costs have presented the Biden administration with more challenges, the president has rallied the West against Mr. Putin, keeping his promise of restoring alliances. “You literally have the greatest European unity in opposition to an autocrat we’ve had since Hitler,” he said.

Write to Andrew Restuccia at andrew.restuccia@wsj.com and Tarini Parti at Tarini.Parti@wsj.com