Senator Marco Rubio wants the United States to impose sanctions on China's purchases of oil and other energy products from Russia.

“China’s imports of Russian crude have surged this year as the world’s biggest energy consumer picked up discounted barrels that European buyers had shunned. China’s imports of Russian crude have surged this year as the world’s biggest energy consumer picked up discounted barrels that European buyers had shunned. Cutting off the flow of Russian crude to China could leave Beijing competing more fiercely with other large buyers, like India, for oil from the Middle East and Africa, potentially raising price," Bloomberg reported.

Rubio on Tuesday introduced a bill along with Republicans Rick Scott, also of Florida, and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, which would impose penalties on any entity that insures or registers tankers carrying oil or natural gas to China from Russia, according to Rubio's office.

This proposal has every chance of passing a vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate. This goes against the policy of the Biden administration, which seeks to maintain oil supplies by limiting Russia's income from energy sales, the agency said.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has floated the idea of ​​a price cap that would allow buyers to continue using Russian oil if they agreed to pay below market prices for it. The administration is still formulating this policy, trying to convince European allies of the correctness of this approach and to reassure them that Russia will not simply turn off the taps.

The situation around Ukraine has roiled the oil markets, causing oil prices to rise by about 30% this year due to fears that Russian oil could be excluded from world trade, pushing up an already tight market. EU countries pledged to reduce gas consumption by 15% the day before.