The United States and its European allies are discussing restricting Russian oil imports.

(Reuters) – WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) – According to US Secretary of State Antony 

 Blinken, the US and its European allies are considering blocking Russian oil imports, and the White House is working with key Congressional committees on their own prohibition.Europe relies on Russia for crude oil and natural gas, but in the last 24 hours, a source involved with the talks told Reuters that Europe has become more open to the concept of blocking Russian products.

 Meanwhile, in a Sunday letter, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the house is "exploring" legislation to prohibit Russian oil imports and that Congress plans to pass $10 billion in aid for Ukraine this week in reaction to Moscow's armed assault of its neighbor. 

The White House is also discussing a potential ban with the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, according to the source.

Nonetheless, Blinken stressed the importance of ensuring a steady supply of oil around the world.

"We are now in very active conversations with our European colleagues about restricting Russian oil imports into our nations while, of course, keeping a steady global supply of oil," Blinken said on NBC's "Meet the Press" show.

On Saturday, Blinken said he addressed oil imports with President Joe Biden and his cabinet while on a tour across Europe to coordinate with allies the reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to Kyodo News, Japan, which counts Russia as its fifth-largest crude oil supplier, is in talks with the US and European countries about possibly blocking Russian oil imports.

At a regular news conference on Monday, Japan's senior government spokesperson, Hirokazu Matsuno, was asked about a possible restriction on Russian oil imports, but he declined to comment.

Oil prices have risen dramatically in the last week as a result of sanctions imposed by the US and its allies on Russia as a result of the invasion.

 On Thursday, a bipartisan group of senators filed legislation prohibiting the import of Russian oil into the United States. The bill is being rushed through Congress, and it may end up being the vehicle for the penalties.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US imposed sanctions on technology exports to Russian refineries and the Nord Stream 2 gas project, which was never completed.

As the Biden administration considers the effects on global oil markets and U.S. energy prices, it has so far refrained from attacking Russia's oil and gas exports.

When asked if the US has ruled out unilaterally blocking Russian oil imports, Blinken responded, "I'm not going to rule out taking action one way or the other, irrespective of what they do, but everything we've done, the approach starts with collaborating with friends and partners."

He stated that the US was considering a number of other measures to put pressure on Russia, but he did not elaborate on what the new actions might entail.

Due to large cars, extensive driving distances, and limited public transportation in many locations, Americans are by far the world's largest consumers of fuel. Historically, rising gas prices have been political poison for US administrations.

According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of gasoline in the United States touched $4.009 on Sunday, the highest level since July 2008. Consumers are spending 40 cents more on average than they were a week ago, and 57 cents more than they were a month ago.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the United States purchased more than 20.4 million barrels of crude and refined products per month on average from Russia in 2021, accounting for nearly 8% of total liquid fuel imports (EIA).