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, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a Sunday letter that the house is "exploring" measures 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.
According to the source, the White House is also discussing a potential ban with the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.
Nonetheless, Blinken emphasized the significance of maintaining stable oil supply around the world.
"We are now in very active conversations with our European peers about prohibiting the import of Russian oil into our nations, while ensuring a stable global supply of oil," Blinken said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."
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.
As per 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 conduit 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 weighs the impact on global oil markets and the United States energy prices, it has so far refrained from targeting Russia's oil and gas exports.
