US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed Sunday that Washington is talking with its allies in Europe about banning oil imports from Russia in retaliation for the war in Ukraine.

According to Lusa, Blinken, who is in Moldova, explained in an interview with CNN that on Saturday he spoke on the phone about this issue with US President Joe Biden and other members of the government.

"We are now talking with our European allies to look, in a coordinated way, at the possibility of banning Russian oil imports and ensuring that there is a sufficient supply of oil on global markets," Blinken said, adding that "the talks are very active."

A ban on oil imports would deprive the Russian presidency (Kremlin) of an important source of revenue, but could harm the world economy by raising already high energy prices, which is why Western governments have resisted adopting such a measure.

However, U.S. congressmen, both Democrats and Republicans, have been pressing Biden in recent days to stop Washington from buying oil and its derivatives from Russia, arguing that the revenue from these imports is used by the Kremlin to fund the war in Ukraine.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met by videoconference with 280 members of the US Congress and asked for help, calling for a ban on oil imports from Russia, receiving support from many of the lawmakers.

While the sanction has been gaining domestic support in the United States, the European Union (EU) has not yet expressed its approval.

Also in an interview with CNN this Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is in Berlin, reiterated her desire for Europe to stop depending on Russia, diversify its energy sources, and accelerate its investment in renewable energy.

However, Von der Leyen refused to comment on any talks with Washington about possible sanctions on Russian oil imports.

The EU depends on Russia for energy supplies, as it imports 41% of its natural gas and 27% of its oil from that country, according to 2019 data from Eurostat.

Unlike the European Union, the USA has the capacity to produce its own gas and oil, although it continues to import energy from other countries because its internal consumption is much higher than production.

Still, the United States is much less dependent on Russia and imports only 7.9% of the oil it consumes from that country, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.