The United States of America (US) has asked most oil-consuming countries to release their reserves in order to reduce high energy prices, as well as rising prices for fuel and other consumer products.

This request by US President Joe Biden reflects US frustration with members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies (OPEC+), who have rejected repeated requests from Washington to accelerate their production increases.

"We are sending a message to OPEC that 'it has to change its behavior,'" said one of the sources quoted by Reuters.

China - where Biden's requests have led to a drop in prices - has said it is working to make crude available.

In the past, the US and OPEC+ have reached agreements to unlock strategic oil reserves. But the current proposal poses an unprecedented challenge for OPEC because it involves China, the largest importer of oil and which has influenced the price for more than 50 years.

"We are thoroughly reviewing the US request. However, we have not released reserves due to rising oil prices. We could release reserves in case of supply imbalance, but not to respond to rising oil prices," said a South Korean official.

In case of unlocking any oil reserves the US share should be more than 30 million barrels, according to a US source who participated in the negotiations.

Sources close to the discussions warn that negotiations on a coordinated oil supply have not been concluded, nor has any final decision been made on whether to pursue any particular course of action on oil prices.