Mexico President Denies U.S. Is Asking for Oil Help, Says Mexicans Should Not Worry About Gas Price Hike

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) on Thursday denied that the United States is seeking oil from the country amid the Russian-Ukraine conflict that affected the U.S. gas prices, Reuters reported.

Lopez Obrador, nor his spokesperson, did not further his comment, as the president quickly moved away from the topic, thanking the United States for approving Mexico's purchase of the Deer Park refinery in Texas.

Lopez Obrador's comments about the U.S. seeking oil came as his administration plans to "sharply cut" the country's oil export this year and end them in 2023, according to Reuters.

The outlet pointed out that Pemex data for crude exports in January were down to 832,216 barrels per day (bpd) compared to the around 1 million bpd average in 2021.

AMLO Says Mexico Gas Price Will Not Hike

Lopez Obrador also pointed out the Mexican public should not worry, as he pledged that gasoline costs will not experience a price hike, Reuters stressed.

Natural Gas Intel also noted that Lopez Obrador reiterated that gas prices would not escalate during his Tuesday and Wednesday news briefing.

"It's important that all Mexicans know that we are not going to have problems with price increases for fuels or electricity, despite the invasion and war in Ukraine," Lopez Obrador underscored.

Despite the president's assurance, several netizens reported a high increase in prices in several commercial gas stations, with the regular oil amounting to 25.19 pesos while the premium at 30.49 pesos.

These prices are different compared to the costs mentioned by a report from Mexico's Federal Consumer Attorney's Office (Profeco), which was acquired by El Universal.

According to the report from Profeco, the first week of March 2022 recorded the daily average cost of regular gasoline is 21.30 pesos per liter, 23.19 per liter for premium, and 22.42 per liter for diesel.

Meanwhile, commercial gas stations like Pemex offers regular gas amounting to 21.73 pesos per liter, 23.28 pesos per liter for premium, per El Universal.

The report also indicated that the cheapest gas station in Mexico as of Thursday is ORSAN "Mobil" as it offered 20.97 pesos per liter of regular gas, while 22.38 per liter of premium.

U.S. Gas Price: California Marks Highest Fuel Price

As Lopez Obrador promised that gas consumers in Mexico should not worry about the petrol prices amid the Russia-Ukraine war, consumers from the United States experienced a gas price hike on Thursday.

According to USA Today, California continues to have the most expensive gas in the country. On average, the state offers gas prices ranging from $5.694 to $5.976. The outlet also pointed out that California is also the first state to sell diesel over $6.

As of Thursday, only 12 states have an average gas price of under $4. USA Today noted that most of these states come from the Midwest region of the country, including Kansas, which has the cheapest price for gas at $3.82.

"Oil prices play a leading role in pushing gas prices higher. Consumers can expect the current trend at the pump to continue as long as crude prices climb," the American Automobile Association (AAA) said on Monday.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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