International oil prices rose during trading on Tuesday, as the United States of America approached imposing sanctions on crude imports from Russia, with the aim of increasing economic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin .

Brent crude futures for May delivery rose by 3.64%, or the equivalent of $4.48, to reach $127.69 a barrel.

The US NYMEX crude contracts for April delivery also rose by 2.97% at the level of $ 122.95 a barrel.

Despite the White House's assertion that the US government had not made a decision at that point on the import ban on Russian oil, White House spokeswoman Jet Psaki stressed that discussions About a possible ban is happening within the US government and with other countries.

At the same time, OPEC Secretary-General Muhammad Barkindo confirmed in statements, on Monday, on the sidelines of an event organized by S&P Global, that the organization had no control over The current events in the oil market, indicating that the geopolitical situation has become dominant over the developments.

For his part, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said yesterday that oil prices may jump above $300 a barrel if the United States and Europe ban crude imports from Russia.< /p>

Novak added in a video statement broadcast by Russian television: It is absolutely clear that refusing Russian oil will lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market.

He explained that Russia knows where it will redirect the oil if Europe and the United States refuse it. Replacing Russian oil supplies to Europe will take more than a year, and Europe is pushing us towards a ban on gas deliveries. via Nord Stream 1, but we haven't made that decision yet.

Two OPEC+ sources said yesterday that the alliance's policies have nothing to do with the rise in oil prices, and played down any possibility of an increase in supplies from the group that includes Russia and Saudi Arabia.