House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Thursday that she would support banning oil imports from Russia as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his assault on Ukraine.

       “I'm all for that. Ban it. Ban the oil coming from Russia,” she told reporters as concerns rise about rising gas prices in response to the crisis in Ukraine.

       Ms Pelosi’s words come as Democrats are trying to stave off concerns that the assault on Ukraine would lead to higher gas prices. In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden mentioned that the Union States would release 30 million barrels from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserves.

       Ms Pelosi said that the price of gas is directly related to the crisis in Ukraine.

       “Doesn’t mean it can’t go up and down without a Russian diabolical intervention into a sovereign country but it is related to that,” she said. Ms Pelosi said she heard a parliamentarian from Ukraine saying the country was under assault while people elsewhere are complaining about the price of gas.

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       “Well, we don’t want people to pay a little bit more for the price of gas,” she said.

       Many Americans were already feeling a pinch at the gas pump beforehand and some have hinted at a gas tax holiday. But Ms Pelosi said it was not clear that would lower prices for consumers.

       “And that sounds good, but do you know that guarantee that the oil companies pass that reduction onto the consumer and it’s very hard to write a bill that requires them to pass it on to the consumer,” she said.

       “So I think if we can have a holiday that guarantees that the consumer benefits rather than more profits for the oil companies, that can be a path that we can take,” she said.

       The Speaker also ruled out drilling on public lands.